10 Things
by nikkiRA
Summary: So I absolutely love reading these things, so here is my attempt at writing them. 10 things you never knew about the Harry Potter characters.
1. Ginny Weasley Potter

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything ! I swear.  
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**Ginny Weasley Potter**

1) When she was little, she told her father she was going to marry Harry Potter. Her dad told her, gently, that that really wasn't likely (to be fair, he did point out that if she ever did actually meet Harry, he was sure to fall in love with her), but she told him that she didn't care if she had to brew a love potion, she would marry him. In her third year she seriously considered it. She even got the book.

It was the happiest day of her life when she realised she didn't need it.

2) The worst year at Hogwarts was her first year. Because it was hard enough to leave her family behind (despite her assurances that she would be having too much fun to miss them), to be on her own, for the first time. But to go through all that, and then to be possessed by the most feared, the most evil Dark Wizard of all? To have poured out her thoughts and her feelings into that diary, to delight in having a friend, someone who seemed to have understood what she was going through, only to realise that everything he had told her was a lie, that he was mocking her, and her foolishness? She never got over that- never. Because it truly was one of the worst things that happened to her (coming second only to the death of Fred- because she had gotten rid of Tom, she had gotten over it, she had _lived_ through it. But Fred would never live again. He was her brother, and she would never see him again. And that hurt worse then what the diary had done).

After that year, her worse year had been her fourth. Not only because of Umbridge, and all the terrible things that she had gone through, but because that was the year her dad had been attacked by the snake. She could remember sitting there, terrified that her dad wouldn't make it. That was the first time she fully realised what they were all going through, what Voldemort was doing. That was the first time she realised that at the end of it all, they might not be one big happy family, but just a mixture of broken pieces.

3) Even though she would never admit it to anyone (not only the fact that she had favourites, but that it was him), but Ron was her favourite brother, even though he was so infuriating and the one she fought with the most. He's her favourite because of all those times he barged in on her and Harry, acting like it was a mistake. Because she knows that even though Harry is his best friend, if he ever hurt her Ron would hex him into oblivion, before any of the others.

4) The day before Fred's funeral, she went into his (old) room and just broke down. She sat in the middle of the floor and just sobbed, hard, her body shaking uncontrollably as she hugged herself. She was surprised no one came, but then again crying was common in her house those days. Then, opening a drawer in her desperate search for something to blow her nose with, she found a treat, and then something clicked in her brain. She didn't eat the canary cream, though, afraid by some cruel trick of fate she would be stuck as a giant bird for Fred's funeral.

5) Then she pictured that scene, and almost did.

6) Instead, she wore bright yellow robes to the funeral the next day. Almost everyone gave her a look, whether stunned, dirty, or pity-filled. Everyone except George, who looked at her and burst out laughing (and it had been so long since she had heard anyone laugh, let alone George), before promptly changing his robes to a very blinding shade of pink. Then Angelina turned hers bright green, and then Percy, orange. Soon everyone was wearing bright vibrant robes, and Bill even bewitched his to flash different colours.

7) But the best part was when George hugged her so tightly, her bones almost broke, and then whispered 'thank you' in her ear.

8) She didn't want to name her children after dead people. The way she thought about it, it would be hard enough living up to the name _Potter_, but name them after Great War heroes? But one look in Harry's eyes told her that he needed this. Besides, she reasoned with herself, it's not the name that made the person- it's the person who made the name.

9) She had always doted on Teddy. Because really, he had been the first child born in the family, even if, technically, he wasn't family by blood. But in every other essence, Teddy Lupin was a Weasley, a Potter. He was a part of their family. And she loved him, so much so she was terrified that when she had her own children, one of two things would happen- one, that she would be so taken by her own children, and Teddy would be pushed to the side, or two, that she would constantly compare her children to Teddy, and she was terrified that they wouldn't live up to him.

Neither thing happened, though. Her kids came first, of course, always, and she loved them more than anything. But Teddy wasn't pushed to the side, not at all. He always had a place in her heart. And eventually she realised that Teddy didn't need a parent, didn't need someone trying to take the place of his own mother and father, in which no one could ever succeed. What he needed was some stability. And so Ginny provided. Eventually she began to think of him less and less as a lost little boy who needed support, and more as a friend, proven when he came to her first and confessed his feelings for Victoire, and she told him that it was okay, because she _wasn't_ his cousin, and that just because she was two years his junior, it really shouldn't mean anything.

10) She couldn't help but be upset when she found out Albus was in Slytherin, of course she would be. She had been brought up her whole life taught that Slytherin was a terrible house, a terrible place to be, that it only produced Dark Wizards. Even when Harry told her that he was proud of him and his choice (she was a little confused at that part) she couldn't help but resent the Hat for putting him there. She had always pictured a happy Gryffindor family, and the fact that that wasn't going to happen deflated her a bit. But then Rose got sorted into Ravenclaw, and Lily into Hufflepuff, and she had to accept that that wasn't going to happen. Eventually, she got over it, and was happy, at least, to see that there wasn't as much house division as had been before. And it wasn't as if anything had changed. Albus came home his regular self, not with books loaded with dark arts and an evil glint in his eye (as she had been afraid he might of). Really, the only thing he did bring home wasn't a thing at all, but a person- Scorpius Malfoy. And she didn't feel too bad about that after Rose did that same thing (in much different circumstances, mind you). But even after her acceptance, she still can't help but be proud that James was a Gryffindor, at least.

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**So I will tell you right not, these will not be in any order. I'm not doing like NextGen first and then working my way up. That's not how I roll ya'll. Next up is Luna, and then Scorpius, because those are the only other ones I have written right now :) Requests are welcomed !  
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	2. Luna Lovegood Scamander

**Luna Lovegood Scamander **

1) In the beginning, she didn't believe in her dad's stories. Because they just seemed too far fetched, too amazing and bewildering to be real. And besides, whenever he would tell a story her mother would simply give her a look and then smile at him, and Luna took that to mean that the stories weren't real, that her father was just an amazing story teller. It never really occurred to her that her dad might actually believe in them. She just thought they were stories.

Then her mom died, and suddenly she needed something, anything, to grab a hold of, to snatch, to keep her afloat. And her dad's stories were there, in front of her, like a lifeboat. So she grabbed hold, taking the Crumple-Horned Snorkack by the horns and holding on for her life- because here were these stories, that had nothing to do with the fact that her mother had just died, and she put her hope into them, praying that they might prove to be real, that they might take her away from the grief that was piling up in her chest. And then, after pretending to believe for so long, she did.

2) When she first saw the thestrals, she held a grudge against them. Because the only reason she could see them was because she could no longer see her mother, and she hated that something so beautiful (yes, she found them beautiful, graceful, elegant. Had it been any other situation she would have loved them at first sight) could come from something so ugly, so disastrous. And then she learned to forgive the thestrals, because really, it wasn't their fault, was it? Blaming the thestrals for her mother's death wouldn't fix anything, and it was just plain cruel to them.

3) She has good instincts about people. Like, for instance, Ron Weasley. She could sense right away that he was in love with Hermione Granger, even if he hadn't realised it yet (for Luna's part, she never really did understand why, because she didn't understand what could make a person who spent her days with her head buried in her books attractive. And maybe she was a little jealous. But that really didn't matter).

She knew the same about Harry Potter. Not that he was in love with Hermione Granger, but that he would be victorious. She knew in her heart that he would save them all, because she could sense it, that he had potential, and she trusted him. Even when she saw him hanging limp in Hagrid's arms, she refused to believe it. Because she couldn't be wrong. Not because she was arrogant, but because if Harry Potter wasn't there to save them, then who would? She couldn't be wrong. For the sake of humanity, she _could not be wrong._

4) She was mad at her dad, furious, when she found out what he had done. That was saying a lot, because she rarely ever got mad. She simply didn't see the point of releasing such negative energy. But when she found out that he was ready to betray Harry Potter, despite everything she had ever told him, even through all of the things he had written about him, she was angry. She just couldn't believe he would go against the side he had claimed to support, that he would turn over the only chance of survival to You-Know-Who, that he would sacrifice so many lives to save the life of his daughter.

She then thought it over. And really, he couldn't be blamed. Because he didn't know what he was doing, due to grief and anxiety. Besides, he had already lost his wife. She could understand that he didn't want to lose his only daughter, too.

5) It never really bothered her that others ridiculed her, or that they hid her stuff. Because it was all just fun and games. Because those people weren't her friends. She didn't care what they thought, because really, why would she? She wouldn't let people who didn't know her affect her life. And maybe it took her a little longer then normal to find them, but she did get friends. And she loved them, because they were her _friends_. Maybe they thought her a little weird, but that was okay. She wasn't perfect, and nor were they. Hermione was too bookish, Harry too independent, Ron too sarcastic, always letting humour lead his life. But she never dwelled on those things, because they were her friends. And you don't let things like that get in the way of your friendships.

6) She always got along best with Neville. Because even though both her and Harry had lost a parent, in his case, both, Neville had lost his too. Maybe they weren't dead in the physical sense, but they were dead to Neville. Because at least Luna had spent time with her mother, at least she had known her, had known what it was like to be loved by her. But she couldn't imagine what it would be like to be so close to your parents, and yet so far away. She couldn't imagine the pain that would come from having your parents look at you with no realisation. And one night, when they were up on the Astronomy Tower talking about this, Luna leaned in and kissed Neville. When she pulled away he smiled at her, and she smiled back, because it had been nice, comforting. Nothing had ever come of it; she knew nothing would, for it had been evident that neither had felt anything. But she still always felt a certain affection for Neville.

Despite this, Ginny would always have a special place in her heart for that night in the hospital, after the birth of Lily, when she called her into the room and told her, with a big smile on her face and a little tiny girl with a mop of red hair already on her head, that she was looking at Lily Luna Potter, and then asked her if she would be her godmother (she of course said yes).

7) When she finally came to terms and accepted that some of her dad's mythical creatures, like the Crumple Horned Snorkack, didn't exist, it hurt a little bit. Because she had always trusted her father, and she had always believed in everything he had ever said. But then she found a numerous amount of other creatures, creatures even her father didn't know about, and she realised that it didn't matter whether some of the stories weren't true, because the most important thing was that her father had given her this love and this fascination for the creatures she found and nurtured. And really, he had led her to her most important find of all- Rolf.

8) Lysander doesn't like his name- she knows because a few days after he went to Hogwarts he wrote home telling her that everyone made fun of his name and his brother's name, and why on earth couldn't she have named them something **normal**, like _Richard _or _Peter_. Luna felt really bad after reading that letter, and when a letter came a few days later from Lorcan she expected the worst.

But he simply said that he was having an amazing time, and that Hogwarts was just as magnificent as she had told him it was. He wrote saying that he and Lysander had reunited with Lily Potter, and that Luna was right, the slight age difference didn't mean anything, they were still as close as they had ever been. He told her that both he and his brother were in Ravenclaw as well, with Rose Weasley. He didn't mention anything about his name. But Luna still felt a bit guilty about it, for a while anyway.

9) Lysander only pretends to believe in her stories. She can tell, because that's what she did for so many years. He smiles and goes along with what she says, what she tells him, even as Lorcan hangs on to her every word. But it's okay that he doesn't believe in them, she's okay with that, and if it took what Luna had gone through in order to believe in the stories, she hoped he never believed in them.

10) She had always harboured hopes that at least one of her children would fall for a Potter or a Weasley. She had always thought that it would be Lorcan and Lily, because they were closer friends and were around each other more than she was around Lysander. So she was surprised when Lysander tentatively told her that he had feelings for Lily Potter, but he was afraid, because she was older than him. Luna told him that that probably shouldn't matter, and when he came to her a few days later, telling her that he had kissed her and she had kissed him back, she was ecstatic. Because now her friends would become her _family_ (if things worked out, of course), and nothing could be better then that.

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**Alright, that was Luna. Scorpius is up next, and then is Ron. I'm thinking after Ron I'm going to write Harry (which would make sense, as the books are written primarily about him!) and I would crack a shot at some minor characters, like Blaise Zabini, because I love that boy, and for wrenbailey. **


	3. Scorpius Malfoy

**I wish wish wish Scorpius Malfoy was mine. But he's not. Nor is anyone else I might have mentioned. Do you know who's they are? JK Rowling. Go after her (not actually though. And if you do decide to do so, don't blame me)**

**I write a lot about Scorpius' name. **

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**Scorpius Malfoy**

1) He never _ever _blamed his dad for anything he ever did. When he sat Scorpius down the night before he went to Hogwarts and told him, well, everything, Scorpius had never admired him more. Because it had taken guts to tell his son, the one person who considered him nothing short of a god that he wasn't perfect, that he had messed up, bad. But even when he showed him the Dark Mark still engraved on his arm and Scorpius had traced it with his finger, his mother standing behind them watching, he didn't blame his dad. And when he heard the stories at Hogwarts, ten times worse then the ones his father had told him (he told himself that they weren't true, that they were exaggerated) he didn't blame him. Even when his teachers looked down their noses at him, he didn't blame his dad.

2) He does, however, blame him for his name. Because why the hell would you name your son _Scorpius?_ He often wonders what was going through his mind when his parents were naming him. _Scorpius?_ It's just not normal.

3) His father changed his lifestyle dramatically, and Scorpius knew that. But he also knew that his father might possibly disown him if he wasn't in Slytherin. So when the hat had told him that he would excel in Ravenclaw, because of his brain, he nearly fell off the stool. Because he _could not_ be in Ravenclaw! He had to be in Slytherin, if only so he had a place to sleep in the summer. So he begged the hat to please please _please_ put him in Slytherin, and the hat obliged.

Sometimes he wonders if it would have been better if he had let the hat put him in Ravenclaw. Because then maybe he wouldn't have felt so alone, like such an outcast. He really didn't belong in Slytherin, and he knew that. But he wouldn't let anyone else know that. He still can't help but wonder, though, if it would have been better to just listen to the hat.

4) Albus was the first to approach him. He was the first to sit down next to Scorpius and offer the hand of friendship, because both of them were pretty much alone- Scorpius because he wasn't really meant for Slytherin, and Albus because he was a Potter, and the other genuine Slytherin's shunned him for that. So they banned together, and were fast friends. And even though he's funny, and he had the guts to approach him, or that he never ever told a soul that Scorpius had ever been _needy_ for friends, Scorpius especially loves Al for introducing him to Rose Weasley.

5) He had been prepared to run away from his home forever if his father had forbidden him from being friends with Al and Rose. Because they meant too much to him, and he wasn't going to let a silly childhood grudge his father still held prevent him from being with his best friends. So when he came off the train with them, laughing and talking, and introduced them to his dad, he gave him a look that told him they were his friends and there was nothing he could do about it.

Truthfully, Scorpius was a little upset that he hadn't objected. Because the night before they left for Hogwarts he had stayed up all night preparing a speech of what he would say to his dad, and he was a little upset that he wouldn't be able to use it. It was a really good speech! Instead he recited it to Rose. She laughed, before telling him it was amazing and that it was a shame he hadn't gotten to use it.

6) He had always known Rose was pretty. From the moment Al had introduced them, he had been caught in her eyes, in her smile, in the fact that she didn't judge him, didn't scowl at his name. He had always known she was amazing, that she was smart and funny and beautiful. He hadn't really thought anything of it, though, because she was Al's cousin.

And then, fourth year, the only real time she got genuinely mad at him (they fought a lot, but never that bad), when she screamed at him that he was an insensitive prick and that he deserved to be fed to a Blast Ended Skrewt and to wipe that bloody smirk off of his face, because there was no reason it had to be permanently painted on (to this day Scorpius doesn't even remember what the hell they were fighting about), he realised he was in love with her. Because looking at her, screaming at him in the middle of the hallway, her eyes blazing dangerously and her wand poised, ready to hex him, he knew that he would let her scream at him and hex him all night, if it meant they would be friends again in the morning. He realised she could do anything to him that she wanted, as long as she didn't _ever _leave.

7) He first realised that he wanted to be with Rose, and no one else, for the rest of his life, when she got on a broom to help him practise for the upcoming Quidditch match against Gyffindor, because it was one of the most important games of Scorpius' Quidditch career. It meant so much because it was against Gryffindor, against James and Hugo and many more of her friends. But also because Rose was absolutely _terrified_ of brooms, and had never ever like Quidditch. It was then he realised how much she was willing to sacrifice for him.

8) When he and Rose decided to tell everyone about their relationship, he wasn't afraid of his dad, or Rose's dad (who he really should have been afraid of), nor was he afraid of Hugo or even James. He was prepared to be hit by James, to be spoken to by Hugo, to be yelled at by his dad and Rosie's dad. He was willing to go through that, because it was for Rose, and he loved her.

He was terrified of Albus finding out. Not only because he knew Albus would talk to him about it, would tell him not to hurt her (not that he would) but because he was scared Albus would think Scorpius was just hanging out with Albus to get to Rose. And that wasn't true- he loved Albus, and he loved Rose (in very different ways, obviously). Albus was his best friend.

9) He had never really considered himself friends with the rest of the Weasley's/Potter's. He just figured they put up with him because of Rose, and even if it made him sort of sad that he wasn't considered basically family, like Teddy Lupin was, he never really expected them to- he was Draco Malfoy's son, after all.

Which was why he was so ecstatic when he received a small package of Bertie Bott's and a collection of Chocolate Frogs the Christmas after he came out with his relationship with Rose from her parents (while, it was signed from her parents, but he had a feeling it was only her mother who had anything to do with it). He was so happy he wrote them a long letter describing just how happy he was and thanking them profusely, and apologizing for not getting _them _anything.

10) He loved Quidditch. He was seeker on Slytherin, and followed the teams. His father took him to countless games, and one time he even convinced Rose to go to a game with him. But he was always slightly ashamed that his favourite team was always the Chudley Cannons. Because they really weren't all that good, and his father always ridiculed him for it.

Eventually though, he began to be proud of his love for them. So when one day, when he was sitting with Rose and her parents (needless to say it was quite an awkward lunch) and she commented that it was more likely for the Chudley Cannons to win the Cup then for her dad to stop intruding on things that really weren't his business, he told her to expect him to mind his own business by next year, because they had a good team this year, and the odds were higher. It was love for the Cannons (who didn't win the Cup that year, either) that convinced Ron he wasn't too bad, and often whenever the family was together they would go off and talk statistics.

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** Like I said, next is Ron, and I was thinking Harry, but all these ideas are popping into my head involving Audrey Weasley (who is Percy's wife) and they won't go away. So I don't know yet.**

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+ps, for all those reading Photograph, sorry for the lack of updates- I'm almost done James/Lily. Should be up today.**


	4. Ron Weasley

**Ron Weasley**

1) Harry is his best friend. That much is obvious, and Ron never _ever_ regretted becoming friends with Harry. Without Harry, half of his family would probably be dead. He knew Ginny would, and so would his dad. But it's not only because of that. Harry is his best friend because he makes him laugh and because he was always thinking of someone other then himself. Because he's loyal and honest and doesn't act like a pompous arrogant git like some other people would have had they been the one who had to save the world. But most of all, Harry is his best friend because he knows that if Ron had a _real genuine problem_ with Harry dating Ginny, he wouldn't date her. And that meant a lot to Ron, that he came first.

2) If Harry is his best friend, Hermione is his love. He knows this now, even though it took him a while to figure it out.

In second year, when she was petrified, he first realised he actually cared about her and what happened to her. In third year he realised he didn't really like living without her, because during that fight of theirs he actually missed her. In fourth year he realised she was a girl and that he didn't want her dating anyone, being with anyone, even though he denied it to himself that it was jealousy. In fifth year he realised it wasn't normal to want your best girl friend to not date anybody, and in sixth year he went out with Lavender Brown because he was absolutely terrified that he liked his best friend. In what would have been seventh year, he realised he was in love with her and wanted to be with her, always.

3) If asked to pinpoint the worst moment of his life, he couldn't do it. Because there were just so many. It could be second year, when he first found out Ginny was in the chamber- or later on, when Harry went on without him, when he didn't know if they were alive. It could be in fifth year, when his dad was attacked by the snake. It could be when they were in Malfoy Manor, and all he could hear was Hermione screaming, and all he could picture was Lestrange torturing her and then killing her, and he would never see her again. Or it could have been looking down at Fred's lifeless face, knowing he would never laugh again. All of those moments were terrible.

But then again, it could also have been when Hermione went into labour and he wasn't there, when Ginny had to take her to the hospital. It could have been when the grim faced doctor came out and told him that the baby was okay, but that Hermione wasn't, those few terrible hours (days, weeks? He had lost track of time) when he didn't know if she would live or die, when he couldn't even look at his daughter. It could have been the time he got a letter from Hogwarts saying Hugo had fallen from his broomstick and was currently unconscious in the Hospital Wing. It could have been the time Rose told him she was in love with Scorpius Malfoy (and even if the last one was a joke, he had thought, for a while, that that was the worst thing that could have happened). Ron had had a lot of bad moments in his life. It was hard, too hard, to pick which one was the worst.

4) Although he had a lot of good memories, too. Like before the war, just lounging around at Hogwarts with Harry and Hermione, playing Quidditch in his back yard, studying for exams and then the feeling of relief that came after they were done. When he finally kissed Hermione, when he was finally assured that she loved him back. When Harry forgave him for being such a twat and walking away, both times he did it. He was terrified when Hermione told him she was pregnant, and Rose's birth wasn't really a happy one, what with all the complications, but when he took her home and held her and realised that they were a family, and that they were all alive, he was ecstatic. And Hugo's birth had been magical, even with Hermione screaming bloody murder beside him. And even though Hugo's first word had been 'Quidditch' (or 'Kiddige,' actually) Rosie's first word had been 'daddy', and even though he knows Hermione was jealous as hell, he was beaming. So he had a lot of good times, too. His life wasn't just filled with pain. There was happiness to fill that void.

5) He didn't like working at the WWW. Not because of the actual work, or the weird people he sometimes got in there- he didn't like working there because he knew he shouldn't be. He knew that it shouldn't be him wearing the uniform, it shouldn't be him standing behind the counter, it shouldn't be him discussing ideas for new products with George. Because it had been Fred and George's creation, not George and Ron's. It should be Fred doing all of the things Ron was doing; it should be Fred brainstorming ideas with his twin. Ron couldn't help but feel as if he was taking something away from Fred, as if he was stealing it under Fred's nose. That feeling of guilt persisted up until he left, and even a little bit after.

6) When Rose told him she was dating Scorpius Malfoy, his first instinct was to lock her in her bedroom for life. After remembering that one summer Harry had been locked in his bedroom, he decided an unbreakable chastity belt would suffice. Then he thought about his daughter shagging Draco Malfoy's son, and he gagged. Then, he thought about her shagging _anyone, _and he made a mental note to ask Hermione about an anti-aging spell. But then Hermione gripped his hand (whether to provide comfort or to stop him from running at Rose and never letting her go, he never really knew) and Rose continued to explain, and he gaped like a fish. But he nonetheless told Rosie it was okay, to bring him around one day so they could meet.

7) In truth he began to like Scorpius sooner then the lunch incident. He began to like him almost as soon as he met him, actually- because he realised that he was so much unlike his father, that he wasn't cocky and rude. He was a polite boy who called them Mr and Mrs Weasley, and who complimented Hermione and respected Ron. Plus, he made Rose happy, and that's really all that mattered. Still, when the Chudley Cannon's comment was made, Ron took it as a way to ease everyone into the fact that he accepted Scorpius. No one ever knew he had liked the boy far longer then he let on- not even Scorpius.

8) The Christmas after Rose and Scorpius came out, Hermione told him she was sending him a Christmas present. Ron had told her that was ridiculous, and it was, really- just because they were dating now didn't mean they would be dating in two weeks, in three weeks. Why send him a present if he wasn't even guaranteed to be around for long? But she had told him to accept the fact that they were dating, and to get the stick out of his arse. She came home after shopping with a bag of Bertie Botts- she was worried that wouldn't be enough, but it wasn't like she knew what to get him- they didn't know the boy! She signed the card from both of them (despite the fact she told Ron he didn't deserve any credit) and sent them.

The next day, Ron pulled out the package of Chocolate Frog's he had been saving and sent them off to Hogwarts, too. Because really, a bag of Bertie Botts wasn't a very good Christmas present. When Scorpius sent the letter back thanking them for the beans and the chocolate frogs, Hermione gave him a look, before getting up and kissing him.

He didn't think he deserved any praise, mind you. He liked Scorpius, even if it didn't seem like it.

9) Hermione had wanted a big family, because she had always felt lonely in her youth with no brothers or sisters. But one memory kept coming back to him- when he was about five or six, and he had drawn his mother a picture. It was of Molly, Arthur, and Ron- just Ron, no one else- and they all had their arms around one another and were surrounded by a heart. Ron had tried to give it to his mum, but she had been so caught up in everyone else she hadn't noticed him. Fred and George had ended up taking it from him and mocking him relentlessly for it, so he tore it up and cried alone in his room. He didn't want a big family, because he wanted his kids to never have to fight for attention. He doesn't regret it, because he knows that even if he did have five more kids, Rose and Hugo would be his favourites, and he would never be able to forgive himself if he played favourites with his children.

10) He could never deal with tears. Whenever he himself had to cry, he would always seclude himself. The few times Ginny cried in her youth, Ron would go and get someone older and then run off and hide. He would always leave his mother's tears to someone else, and whenever Hermione cried he would immediately call Ginny (needless to say Ginny basically lived with them during both Hermione's pregnancies- Ron didn't deal well with hormones). Which was why, after the war, when Ron was at the Burrow and he was sitting there, thinking about everything, and he heard his mom enter, crying, his immediate reaction was to run the other way. But when she saw him, she cried out '_Oh Ronnie,_' and then rushed forward and gave him the biggest hug, crying into his chest. And even though it was awkward as hell, he wrapped his arms around her and told her it was going to be okay, even though his heart was breaking. And even though he didn't know what to do, it felt nice, to hug his mum, to know that even though she just lost her son, she still cared about Ron.

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** Next up is probably Blaise. **


	5. Blaise Zabini

**Okay, know right now that I don't really like this. I think it's not very good, and that I totally butchered Blaise. I'm sorry for that, but it's been a while since I've updated. So here you go.**

**+ps, I made Blaise out to be a total therapy case. I love it. I might just go write a story about why he is so screwed up. I have it all planned out in my head, like a little back story. **

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**Blaise Zabini **

1) When he was little, he always wondered where his dad went. Who he was, what he was like. If he would have been a dad to Blaise, or if he would have been like stepdads number three and five, who never paid any attention to him. If having his dad in his life would make his life different. When he got older, though, he no longer cared about his dad or what had happened to him, about whether he had been like the rest of his mother's husbands or whether he had been different, whether he had actually left. He didn't care any more, because what was the point of caring, really?

2) He never ever liked any of his stepdads. All of them had been reduced to numbers- he couldn't recall any of their names, any of their faces. Stepdads three and five hadn't ever given a donkey's arse about Blaise, and they didn't pretend to, either. If they were there in the summers they would ignore him completely, and if they were there in the winters he stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays. Stepdads one and six had actually been genuinely interested in his life, but he had shot them down almost immediately. And stepdads two and four hadn't given a shit but had pretended to. He didn't like any of them, and he found them all ridiculously dunce to continue falling for his mother.

3) But what he hated most of all was the accusations against his mother. He knew that a lot of his stepdads hadn't actually died of natural reasons, but to say his mother killed them all was an overstatement. Stepdad four had had a heart attack, while stepdad two had just been old (ridiculously old, actually- Blaise found it quite disgusting). And as for stepdad five, well, his mother had claimed to actually be in love with him (which was something his mother never said), so he didn't know what had happened to him.

4) When he had been smaller, he had made friends with a muggle. Her name had been Courtney, and she wore flowers in her hair and smelled of strong perfume. When Blaise met her she had fallen off of the park equipment and onto the pavement, had ripped her dress and skinned her knee. It was only bleeding a little, but she still burst into tears, and when no parent rushed over Blaise dug his heels in the sand and got off his swing, walking over to her and asking her what was wrong. She pointed out her knee and he helped her up and supported her the whole walk home. She had thanked him and kissed him on the cheek. When he went home he told his mother about the little girl, and she had given him a stern look and told him he wasn't to talk to that girl again, because she had dirty blood. Blaise hadn't really understand that, but he obliged, and when, the next day, that same girl came up to him he pushed her down and walked away.

He sometimes wonders if, had he never told his mother about Courtney, if he would have grown up believing something different about muggles, mudbloods and blood traitors. Then he looks at Hermione Granger and the Weasley family, and he's grateful his mother had taught him what she did.

5) He was terrified of going to Hogwarts. Because he had never really been away from his mother, from the luxuries he lived. He was afraid he wouldn't make friends, he would be ignored.

But he was also afraid (and this he never shared with anyone) that something would happen to his mother. That something would happen and he wouldn't be there to protect her. That fear lasted until he met Draco Malfoy.

6) He's not really sure if Draco Malfoy turned him cold, or if he had always had it in him. If it had been the many step fathers who had ignored him, the detachment he had learned from the members of his family, that he put into use when talking to anyone he wasn't interested in. But somehow, he began to miss his mother less and less.

7) He loved girls. He loved girls more then anyone else he knew, even Draco. He didn't love girls individually, though. He loved them as a whole, and he could admit he took advantage of them. He revelled in it. He loved watching them fall for him and loved having them at his beck and call for a short while before leaving them. He would never admit that he craved their attention more then they craved his, that he craved having someone idolize him, even if only for a few days.

8) He didn't know it was his mother who had given him that need, that need to feel, not loved exactly, but powerful. Wanted.

9) The only reason he had gone to Slughorn's party was because Draco hadn't been invited. And it felt good, to be the one that was wanted, the one that wasn't stereotyped into Draco's gang of followers. He had thought it was a complete crock, especially seeing Potter and Granger there. But it felt good, to be able to go back and see how pissed Draco was, that for once he wasn't being doted on.

10) He really did find Ginny Weasley attractive. So attractive, he might have forgotten all about his hatred for mudbloods and blood traitors and gone out with her (and by that, he meant shag her once and then leave her) had he not been afraid (well, no, not afraid. Worried) that his reputation would be tarnished.


	6. Harry Potter

**Sorry for the lack of updates, many things got in the way, including, but not limited to, baseball, school, stabbings (don't ask?) and attempting to be a teenager. Sorry !**

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**Harry Potter**

1) People always say that one of the worst things the Dursley's ever did was give him a cupboard to sleep in (it came second only to putting bars on his windows and locking him in his room). But he never agreed with him. His cupboard was his safe haven. It was where he went when he just couldn't deal. It was in his cupboard where he could imagine that outside of it, it wasn't Aunt Petunia struggling with the bacon eggs toast sausage and whatever else Dudley wanted to eat, but his own mother, making him a breakfast he was allowed to eat. Or that it wasn't Uncle Vernon coming in from work and demanding not to be disturbed so he could watch television, but his dad, coming home from work and sweeping Harry up in his arms. In his cupboard he could _pretend_.

In his opinion, the worst thing the Dursley's could have done was deny him the knowledge of what he was, who he was, who his parents were. The worst thing they did was leave him alone with only his imagination, let him suffer, because if he had of known life would have been so much easier, it would have been easier to live with the Dursley's, because then he would know he was getting out of there, at least.

But at the same time, if he of known, it probably wouldn't have felt so right when he got his letter. And even though he was scared, a little disbelieving, he was happy. He was surprised and happy. And if he had of known, maybe he wouldn't have felt so happy. So maybe it all turned out right in the end.

2) His favourite times are the times when he forgets he's Harry Potter. When he's sitting with Ginny, or when he's with his children, or at Weasley family gatherings. When he forgets that he vanquished the most evil dark wizard. When he's just Harry- when he can't remember all those who died, when he can't remember the final battle, the hurt.

But then someone brings him back to earth, whether it's a reporter or someone on the street, and he hates them, even though he knows that he shouldn't, for bringing him back to reality.

3) When they read about Scorpius Malfoy's birth in the _Prophet, _Ron turned to Harry and told him, with a wide grin on his face, that he would bet Harry a galleon that Scorpius would grow up to fall in love with Harry's daughter, if he ever had one. Harry bit his tongue, because at that time Hermione hadn't told Ron she was pregnant yet.

Sixteen years later, he went up to Ron and told him he owed him a galleon. Ron of course, didn't remember, but it still made Harry laugh, watching Ron's ears stay red for at least 4 hours after Rose told him she was dating Scorpius Malfoy.

4) He never actually thought Ron and Hermione would get married. He had known for a while that they liked each other, back at Hogwarts, but he never thought anything would come of it. He was surprised when it did, but he didn't really care (except for when they started snogging in the middle of the war). It didn't actually change anything. Hermione wasn't exactly one for public displays of affection, so it wasn't like when they were together all they did was make out. But he didn't think they would last- because all they did was fight. In fact, the fights were even worse, now that they were together.

So when they were still together after all those years, when they were going to get married, Harry was surprised. Because he didn't think they would make it.

But he was happy they did.

5) For a while after the war, he wouldn't talk to the Weasley family. Well, he couldn't just _not_ talk to them, as he was living with them, but his days were spent holed up in his (okay, Ron's) room, refusing to speak to anyone except Hermione. He wouldn't even speak to Ron. Even when Ron asked him, multiple times, what was wrong, why he wouldn't speak to anyone, even when Ron told him what it was doing to his mother.

It wasn't until Mrs. Weasley confronted him, sobbing, that Harry finally broke down, because he just couldn't sit there and be cold to Mrs. Weasley. He told her how he hadn't wanted to intrude on their lives; how he felt so guilty that Fred was dead. He spilled everything to her, about how bad he felt, about how sad he was, how much he missed everyone, how much he blamed himself. He told her he hadn't talked to them because he wanted to make them hate him, because he felt he deserved it. He told her more that day then he had ever told anyone before in his life, even Dumbledore. Afterwards, she comforted him about everything, except for him wanting them to hate him. She told him not to be stupid, that he could never do anything to make them hate him.

6) He loves his parents. More then anything. But he doesn't miss them. He can't, because how can you miss something you don't remember ever having? He's tried so hard to miss them, but he can't. And he hates himself for it.

7) Which was why, from the time Teddy could talk, Harry told him about his parents. Because he was determined that Teddy would grow up to miss his parents. He knew that it would hurt, but he knew that if Teddy didn't miss his parents, he would feel just the way Harry did. And Harry loved the boy too much to let that happen.

8) His greatest accomplishment is his family. It isn't defeating Voldemort, it isn't his job, it isn't anything else... it's his family, because that's all he had wanted when he had been young, was a family. And now he had one.

9) All of the deaths of his friends, of everyone he had ever known, they had affected him greatly. Of course they did. But only two deaths made him want to huddle up in a ball and never get up, and they were Dumbledore's and Fred's.

Dumbledore's because he had been so close to him, because Dumbledore had told him things no one else knew. Because Dumbledore hadn't treated him like a child, because he seemed to understand that he didn't want to be told a sugar covered version of the truth, because he knew what was out there. Because even though Dumbledore had protected him, it wasn't by shielding him from the truth. Dumbledore's death affected him so because Dumbledore was the first one to _love_ Harry, that he knew of anyway. Harry had given so much to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore so much of Harry, that a bit of Harry died when Dumbledore did.

Fred's affected him so much because he knew Fred. True, he knew Colin and Tonks, Moody and Cedric, but for some reason it had been different with Fred. Because Fred was his family. Fred was like his brother almost, the brother who had given him the Marauders Map, who had saved him from being locked behind bars, who had provided nonstop amusement during rainy days. The one who had given him life in fifth year. Because Fred was his family, and it always hurts more when your family dies.

10) He gets a lot of grief for naming his children after dead war heroes. From Hermione, from Molly, from reporters, even. But he doesn't care. Because he felt he owed them all something. They had died _for him_. The least he could do was make sure their name, their legacy, still lived on.


	7. Teddy Lupin

**YAAAY for Teddy Lupin. I love this boy. **

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**Teddy Lupin**

1) His first memory is of crying. In the beginning, that's all his grandmum did. Cry. He couldn't make out any words, just sobs. He had been a quiet baby, because his grandmum seemed to steal all of his tears.

When he was older, he told Harry he didn't want to go back home, he wanted to live with him, because all his grandmum did was cry. Harry gave him a solemn look, bent down and took him into the next room. That's the first time Harry ever told him about his parents. Ginny told him he was too young- Harry disagreed (they actually got into a fight about it- Teddy pretended he didn't hear). So Harry told him, and he didn't hold it against his grandmother anymore when she cried.

2) The first time he stopped calling Harry 'Uncle Harry' was the morning of his 11th birthday. He hadn't intentionally meant to do it- that hadn't been in his goal when he woke up in the morning. But it just seemed to fit with the whole, growing up thing. That was the year he was going to get his letter from Hogwarts- the year he would be leaving for the first time. That was the year Harry finally filled him in on everything that had happened with his parents, filling in all the holes left by the countless 'when you're older' Harry had told him. That was the year Teddy Lupin grew up. So when he came downstairs and saw Harry, he ran up and gave him a hug (he had contemplated a handshake, but he thought that was too formal) and said, 'hi Harry,' and then turned away to the big breakfast his grandmum had made him.

He tells himself it was because it smelled so good, but the truth was he didn't want to see the look of hurt that crossed Harry's face when he said that.

3) That same year of his eleventh birthday, he went through a phase when he wanted everyone to call him 'Ted' instead of 'Teddy'. Everyone went along with it, because they figured it was just a phase. It wasn't until after Victoire came back from France with her family that he was able to tell her to call him Ted, and when he did, she burst out laughing and refused to do so. After that he never really pushed for it anymore.

4) Victoire was always his best friend. One of the worst things about leaving for Hogwarts was leaving her behind, watching her run after the train and craning his head so much to try and see her it left a kink in his neck for days. She was always his best friend. But there were a few months in his third year, her first, when they stopped talking. When he ignored her completely, because at that point, he had his friends at Hogwarts, and how cool was it, really, to be a thirteen year old metamorphmagus hanging around with an eleven year old? So he didn't talk to her for four months until one day one of his friends caught him staring at her and told him his hair was red. That was when he realised she was his best friend, and she could never be replaced.

5) But still, it wasn't until his seventh year that he finally realised he was _in love_ with her. Sure, he had known he had a little crush on her, but he hadn't told a soul that, except for Ginny. But while everyone was partying back at the castle, he was sitting in the grounds with Victoire, just watching the lake, listening to her try to stop the tears. It was then that he realised it wasn't leaving Hogwarts that was making him so sad- it was leaving Victoire.

6) You can always tell what he's feeling or who he's thinking of by his hair. It changes of its own accord most times, and because of that Teddy is as see through as Nearly Headless Nick. When he's happy, so happy he might just explode, its bubblegum pink .When he's thinking of his mum, its electric blue, and when he's thinking about his dad it's the same sandy colour his dad's hair had been. When he's thinking about his godfather, its jet black, and when he's thinking about the Weasley's its fire red. Victoire used to mock him ridiculously for it.

7) He was close to all of the Weasley's, but of all of them he was most distant with Rose. He didn't know why- he had just never had much contact with her. While the Potter children all adored him and Victoire's siblings, well, of course he was close to them, Rose and him had never been close, even though her little brother idolized him (he had always felt awkward, being idolized). So it was a big surprise when, seeing her in the backyard of Molly's house one day, he had asked her 'what's up' (to be polite, you know) and she had promptly started telling him everything. Everything, but most importantly, Scorpius. She made him promise not to tell, and he swore he wouldn't. She wasn't asking for advice, and he didn't have any to give- she just needed someone to listen. And he was there.

8) The day before he left for Hogwarts, Harry presented him with the Marauder's Map. He told him the story of how he got, that his dad and Harry's dad, not to mention Sirius and Wormtail (Harry didn't speak much about Wormtail) had made it together. He then told him that as the son of a Marauder, he was expected to cause trouble- just not enough so that his grandmum was called. Harry also told him that he couldn't tell anyone he had given the map to Teddy, especially Ginny, Hermione or Andromeda. Teddy agreed.

At the end of his seventh year, he gave it back to Harry. Not because he didn't want it anymore- he would have loved to have it. But because it was Harry's, rightfully, he felt. It was Harry's only link to his family, his real family (not that the Weasley's weren't his family. Teddy just understood that no one really could replace your parents). While Teddy had his grandmum, his Aunt Cissy (who had reconciled with Andromeda shortly after the war), Harry had only the map.

9) He was really close with his Aunt Cissy, and with Draco. In fact, he even invited them to his birthday one day, which turned out to be pretty awkward, and from that point on he had a private celebration with them. He didn't see why everyone was always so tense around them. But the last time he saw Draco before he left for Hogwarts, Draco told him everything. He said it was because Teddy might hear things about him at school, and he wanted to be the first one to tell Teddy.

But even though Draco had done all of those terrible things, he didn't mind. Because lots of people had done stupid things. It wasn't like everyone in his family was perfect. So he forgave Draco, and the first time he ever heard anything bad about the Malfoy name at school, he yelled loudly at the person who had said it and got detention.

10) But Harry is still his favourite. Not because he's his godfather, or because he's the greatest godfather in the world. But because Harry's been where he is. Harry's been orphaned, been left not knowing his parents. Harry's the only one who can really understand that sometimes, he misses them so much it hurts. And then sometimes, he's angry at them, so angry for leaving. Harry is the only one who listens when he yells, who can understand that he loves his grandmum, so much, but she isn't his mom. Harry is the only one who understands, completely. And he is so grateful for it.


	8. Audrey Weasley

**I put this one up because I had had it written for a while, and I wanted to update. I'm starting to write more, so be ready for Narcissa, Draco, and maybe Hagrid. **

**+ps, I don't think Audrey Weasley is a muggle. I don't think JK has said much about her. But reading Jess.91's 10 Little Things, I can't really think of her as anything else. So, after reading this, go check that one out, if you haven't already :)**

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**Audrey Weasley**

1) Her parents had always told her that magic didn't exist. And so that's how she had lived. Magic didn't exist, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, they weren't real. In her world, magic had been nothing but a silly fairy tale made up by someone who didn't want to accept reality.

Because of this, it took her a while to truly accept magic was real. Because she had spent so long believing it wasn't, how was she just supposed to accept, right there, that if Percy wanted to, he could kill right there, and nobody would be able to figure out a cause for her death?

2) That was what scared her most about magic- the fact that against it, she was totally useless. It didn't matter if she was armed with a machine gun, a grenade, anything, she was still helpless. The fact that if Percy was sick of her, he could silence her forever. The way that if her children wanted to go someplace and she were stopping them, they could stun her and leave. That if her new family didn't like her, they could send her to Saudi Arabia. And even though she knew they never would, it didn't stop her from having nightmares the first few weeks after Percy told her he was a wizard of his family ganging up on her, making her unable to move, and then locking her in a closet for the rest of her life.

3) When Percy did finally tell her that he was a wizard, she didn't believe him. Because it wasn't possible- magic didn't exist. Even when he made the table float up into the air. Even when, at her request, he made _her_ float up into the air. She still didn't believe it. It took him turning the arm chair into a St. Bernard that finally convinced her that he was telling her the truth.

She yelled at him, then. She told him to get his weird devil tricks out of her house, and she slammed the door behind him, locking it and piling things up against it, because how easily could he get through a locked door? She was looking around for the arm chair when the St. Bernard came up to her and nudged her hand. Then she had to put everything back so she could get out the door, because she couldn't stay there anymore.

Walking through London, she realised how much she had overreacted. She wanted Percy to come back, but she couldn't really call him, because he didn't have a cell phone (she had always thought that strange- now it made sense). And then she saw him, leaning against a wall of a building- he hadn't gone too far. His face was in his hands, so he didn't see her approach. She went up to him, touched his shoulder and realised that this was the only man she could love, even if he did have magic powers.

4) One night, when she couldn't sleep, she crept out of bed, took Percy's wand from the night table, and then quietly went into the living room. She stared down at the stick, took a deep breath, and waved it, hoping for sparks, a light, a feeling of completeness, something! But nothing happened- it was as if she was waving around a stick, hoping fireworks would shoot out of it. She never told anyone, because she was ashamed (of both what she had done and the fact that she was completely and totally- what was that word Percy had used? - muggle), but she had a feeling Percy knew, anyway. Percy seemed to know everything.

5) She was absolutely terrified of meeting Percy's family. Because she was afraid they wouldn't accept her, that she would be shunned, that one outcast, the daughter in law nobody really liked but put up with. But when Percy introduced them, finally, Molly gave her a big hug (which Audrey wasn't used to, as her parents had never really been very affectionate), and even though he had so many siblings and such a big family, and even though his father was absolutely obsessed with her and kept asking her all these strange questions about things like electricity and subways, they were a great family, and Audrey had never felt so accepted, not even in her own family.

6) She was afraid that when she had children, they would be like her. That they wouldn't have any magic in them at all, that they would have to sit with the other children and hear stories about their school and that they would hate her. She was terrified that they would be left out.

So she was ecstatic (and terrified) when Molly, one day when she got very angry at her mother for not allowing her to have ice cream before dinner, made it fly out of the freezer and dump itself on Audrey's head. She was happy (yet scared) when Lucy leaned over too far over the balcony of Uncle George's house and fell, only to be stopped in midair as if she had been suspended by the ankle. She was terrified that her children had this power, and yet she was ecstatic that they would fit in, that they wouldn't have to feel like she did when the rest of Percy's family started talking about memories of Hogwarts and the war.

7) Despite this, she still made her children do all their chores, by hand. Even though Lucy openly complained and Molly turned stony and silent, she stuck to it. She didn't care if Percy could wave his wand and clean everything up; she had been brought up being taught that if you made the mess, you had to clean it up. It was also her way of keeping Molly and Lucy with her, on her level. One of her biggest fears was that they would grow up and leave her behind, they wouldn't accept her. So she tried to teach them that you couldn't always depend on magic, that you had to be able to know what to do if something happened so that you _couldn't_ wave your wand and make every problem disappear.

8) She never told her parents that magic existed, that Percy was a wizard, that her children weren't going to a private school, that they were going to a school to learn magic. She knew they wouldn't believe it, and even if they did, they wouldn't accept it. But it still hurt, that every time, before they went over to her parents' house, her, Percy and the kids would sit down and concoct stories about what they were doing in school now. It hurt that to them, Percy was a lawyer, and that her children couldn't tell their grandparents about their OWL's or what they had done in Quidditch. Which was why she spent much more time with Molly and Arthur and all of Percy's family. Because even if she didn't mesh exactly with them, she still fit in a lot better then with _her_ family. And there, her kids could be who they really were, Percy could be himself, and that's really all that mattered.

9) The only time she's ever been truly mad at Percy, so mad she actually considered leaving (she probably would have, had it not been for her children) was when one day they were talking about the war and Audrey had said it was pointless for so many people to die. She didn't understand, couldn't understand, this _Voldemort _person, nor could she understand why Percy whispered it, and why he only said his name once, calling him You-Know-Who the other times. She couldn't grasp that he had split his soul into seven pieces, that he had been immortal, for a time. And she didn't understand why so many people, including Percy's brother and Teddy Lupin's parents, had to die because of him. She had gotten into an argument with Percy about the war, and frustrated he had shouted out, 'what do you know, you're a muggle! While we were out there fighting, you were sitting at home, completely oblivious to what was going on!' She had gaped at him for a few moments, before getting up and storming out.

When she came back that night at three in the morning, he was waiting up for her. He apologized, and said he never should have said it, had begged her to forgive him. She turned up her nose to him and told him she'd talk to him in the morning. But even before morning came around, she knew she forgave him. Because it was useless being mad at the truth.

10) Sometimes she wonders what life had been like had she married a muggle, had she never been introduced into the magical world. Had she kept on believing that there was no such thing as magic, as she had been taught. But then she looks around, at her children, her husband, her family, and she knows she wouldn't have it any other way.


	9. Rubeus Hagrid

**Hagrid ! To be perfectly honest I'm not too sure when the next update is going to be. Because right now at school, it's that time of the year when exams are coming up and everybody is stressing and for some reason everyone decides to pile on assignment after assignment... blah. Not to mention I have baseball like every freaking day, oh dear. And my grandmother GRACIOUSLY gave me like, 100 dollars to spend on books. So I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot more time reading then usual :)**

**So enjoy this while you can. I will try try try to get things up soon though. Next? I'm thinking Narcissa. Because I've meant to get her done for a while, but she keeps on getting pushed to the side. Poor woman. And Sirius, too. **

**OH, I still have carpal tunnel. But I just remembered I had written this... so here ! **

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**Rubeus Hagrid **

1) He always knew he was different. That he wasn't the same. Even if he never really hung around with the other kids when he was little, he knew, just by watching them, that there was something else, something _wrong_ with him. He just couldn't put his finger on it. He knew that he was bigger then the other kids, bigger then his dad, bigger then most. He just never knew _why_.

When his dad finally sat him down and told him, at first he didn't believe it. Because, okay, he was big. But he wasn't _that_ big. He wasn't _giant_ big. But standing at the platform, towering over everyone, _everyone _there, he realised just what he was.

And he was ashamed.

2) That shame didn't go away until he met Dumbledore. Somehow, Dumbledore made it all okay. Something about Dumbledore, the way he held himself, the way everyone looked up to him, even though he was just the Transfiguration teacher, well, it almost made it seem that Dumbledore was big. Bigger then Hagrid, even. Not physically- the man barely reached his waist. But Dumbledore filled the room, sometimes more then Hagrid did.

But it wasn't just that. It was the way Dumbledore treated Hagrid like a person, not as a half giant. The way he didn't back away in fear. The way he told Hagrid that there was nothing to be ashamed about- that Dumbledore himself was most likely somehow related to most creatures, and that Giant Squid and him were distantly related. Hagrid wouldn't have believed that even if Dumbledore hadn't winked afterwards, but it nonetheless made him feel better. Dumbledore was the one who convinced him to let go of the shame and embrace what he was. It was Dumbledore who made him _proud._

3) It was Dumbledore he went to when he was expelled. Dumbledore was the only one he could think of when he heard those words, those awful words. Dumbledore listened to him blubber like a baby, listened to him. Hagrid denied it up till the end, and Dumbledore always sided with him (however, it was possible Dumbledore couldn't understand him while he was sobbing so hard). He had never hated anybody more then whoever or whatever it was that was doing this, not only because of that girl, but because they had taken away the only home he had, now that his dad was gone.

It was Dumbledore who convinced Dippet to train him. Dumbledore who gave him his home, who gave him the greatest job he could think of.

4) Lily came to have tea with him at least once a week. James and his friends always dropped by to talk, and Sirius Black was the only one he knew who actually liked his rock cakes, who always demanded more.

So when he first heard it, he refused to believe. Because it could not be true. Lily and James could not be dead, especially not at the hands of Sirius Black. Potter and Black were the best of friends, Sirius would never, could never... it just couldn't be true. And Harry, what would happen to Harry?

Hagrid had decided long before Dumbledore asked him that he was going to rescue Harry, and had Dumbledore actually forbidden it, it would have been the first and only time he ever disobeyed Dumbledore.

5) He's been angry plenty of times. He gets angry a lot, especially when he's been drinking a lot. But the angriest he's ever been is when he found out how those muggles were treating Harry. When he found out that he didn't know who he was, what he was, what he had done, anything about his parents- a car crash! Car crash his arse! He would have hexed them all, right then and there, if it hadn't been for Harry. If it hadn't been for Harry, that fat cousin of his would have had more then just a pig snout, that woman would know what a long neck really was, and that Dursley- well he had never met a man as insufferable in his life! Saying that stuff about Dumbledore... Dumbledore, the bravest man he knew! He didn't know exactly what he would have done to Dursley, but he knew that if hadn't been for Harry he probably would have payed a fairly long visit to Azkaban. Hagrid had absolutely no control over his temper.

6) He was determined to keep Harry safe. Because he hadn't been able to keep Lily and James safe, hadn't kept Sirius safe, so he was determined to keep him safe. Not only because he felt he owed it to them- because he loved Harry, he loved Harry and Ron and Hermione. They kept him going through all the hard times.

So it was that much more painful to see him lying on the forest floor. To carry his lifeless body in his arms. To realise that there was no more hope. Because Harry Potter was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. Hagrid had failed, once again, only this time the whole world was going to pay the consequence.

7) He knew deep down that his mother was dead. Because there just was no way she could possibly be alive. Long ago he had given up any hope for parental figures. So leaving to recruit giants, even though he still hoped, wished that maybe, maybe, she was alive, he hadn't really expected to come out of there with any family.

Which was why he had to bring Grawp home. Because Grawp was his brother. His real life brother, whether half or not. And even if he couldn't speak properly, even if he had to be contained, lest he destroy the forest, even if he couldn't tell him anything about his mother, he was his brother. He was his family.

8) He had thought, at the time, that his father's death was the hardest he would ever have to deal with. Because it was his father, the man who raised him, who loved him, the man who never judged him. And him dying, that hurt more then anything. He wasn't sure, at that time, that he would be able to live through it. Because it was hard, so hard, to live without him, hard to breathe, like a weight on his chest.

Then he saw Dumbledore's lifeless body, lying limp at the bottom of the tower. And he knew, he just knew, that this wasn't something Dumbledore could just snap out of. Not even Albus Dumbledore could defeat death. And suddenly Hagrid's world came crashing down. Because Dumbledore- the man who had given him everything, the greatest man he ever knew, the bravest, most powerful, the smartest man he knew- was dead. Gone. Forever. And Hagrid didn't know how to cope without him.

9) Winning the war was bittersweet. Because yes, You- Know- Who was gone, forever. They were, essentially, safe now, minus the stray Death Eaters. And he was relieved. But walking through Hogwarts, his home, looking at all of the bodies, at the faces of people he knew, people he loved, faces that would never laugh or talk or cry again, he had a mix of emotion in which all he wanted to do was cry hit yell curse and run away, all at the same time, and he couldn't deal with those emotions. Looking around at Remus and Tonks, at that Creevy boy, at Fred Weasley, it was too much. He didn't know what to do with himself. In times like those, he always turned to Dumbledore- but Dumbledore was gone. Gone, and who was he supposed to turn to now?

10) He's gotten better at teaching, but still, for every 5 students who enjoy his class, there's one who doesn't, one who sneers and makes jokes and doesn't return. But he's okay with that, because then there's Albus Potter, who always gets so thoughtful around any kind of creature, magical or not, and Rose Weasley, who asks question after question until she understands everything before she allows herself to enjoy them. There's Scorpius Malfoy, who, instead of smirking, smiles when Hagrid stutters or stumbles and helps him, who stays after class with Albus to help him out. There's James and Teddy and Victoire and Lily, and countless others who respect him but who, more importantly, complete him, who pick up the pieces he had lost along the way and put him back together.


	10. Narcissa Black Malfoy

**Narcissa, finally ! And I wrote this with my first exam on tuesday ! You should all be honoured, really. **

**Who's next? That's a good question. I'm feeling Hermione or Rose. **

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**Narcissa Black Malfoy**

1) Bella was her favourite sister for as long as she could remember. Because Bellatrix was strong, would stand up for what she believed in. She wasn't afraid of anyone. Not her parents, not the teachers- Bellatrix only listened to what she wanted to. At the time Narcissa didn't take that for arrogance, she took it as strength. And she envied that Bella was so strong.

Andromeda was the opposite. Never did she stand up for herself; never did she stand up for Narcissa. She would sit there and take whatever people dished at her, without a complaint, waiting until she was alone to cry into her pillow. Narcissa didn't understand why she didn't stand up for herself like Bella did. To her, Andromeda wasn't strong. Andromeda stayed in her room and wrote letters to someone secret, while Bellatrix played with Cissy, played Mudbloods and Muggles.

Then Andromeda did something stronger then anyone Narcissa ever knew. Andromeda fell in love with a mudblood. Andromeda ran away with that mudblood. And Narcissa realised that Andromeda was the strongest in the family. And Narcissa felt terrible, absolutely terrible, for favouring Bella.

2) Her parents never really showed her any love. When she was going to Hogwarts for the first time, she was terrified, and she had no one to turn to. Not her sisters, not her parents. She knew they wouldn't tell her anything comforting- they would just tell her it was stupid to worry. So at an early age, Narcissa learned to keep her feelings to herself, to keep a calm facade, in public at least. In the safety of her room, that was a different story. That was when she let it all come out.

3) Cissy was the only one invited to Andromeda's wedding. The invitation was sent in private, and Narcissa planned on going. But then Bella found the invitation in her room, threw it in the fire, and gave Narcissa a scathing look that scared her. Ever the actress, Narcissa sneered back, and told Bella she had just saved her from touching the piece of filth. Bella gave her a long look at that, and then left.

But Narcissa knew Bella hadn't believed her.

4) Andromeda, despite the fact that Cissy hadn't come to her wedding, sent her regular letters, telling her how things were going in her life. She didn't expect letters back- that much was obvious, since the letters kept coming despite Cissy's silence. She loved hearing from her sister, even if she couldn't write back, because it kept her in touch. It let her know that Andromeda still loved her.

But then she met Lucius Malfoy. He swept her up off her feet, and she loved him more then anyone. He was smart, handsome, pureblooded, rich. Everything her parents could have asked for. And then, after her relationship with him persisted, the letters stopped coming.

5) The greatest thing Lucius ever gave her was Draco. Her son. She loved him with all the love she could muster, with more love then she was ever taught. She loved her son more then anything. He was her world.

But there was one thing that scared her more then anything, and the day Draco was born she looked at Lucius with the sternest look she could muster and told him that her son would never be a Death Eater.

She didn't know what hurt more, 16 years later- the fact that her baby was in trouble, or the fact that Lucius had broken his promise.

6) Nobody really put two and two together and realised she had saved Harry Potter's life. She's not sure if she's happy about this or not. All she knows is that she saw him lying there and thought that it was the end, Voldemort had won. And for some reason, she didn't want this to happen.

It took her a while to realise that had been her unconscious wish for a while.

7) She's so glad that Draco found someone to be with who loves him unconditionally, despite all the things that he had done. And she really loved Astoria. It makes her so happy that Draco can be happy.

Still, she couldn't help but wish that they had blessed her with more grandchildren then just Scorpius. Not that Scorpius isn't enough- she loves him more then words can say. But she just always wanted her children and her grandchildren to have siblings, so they could have someone to turn to.

8) _Someone to turn to._ That was what convinced her to make up with Andromeda. To go over to her house and plead to be forgiven, to be accepted into her life again.

That's when Andromeda told her everything. And in those moments, Narcissa hated Bellatrix with more passion then she had ever experienced in her life. She hated Bella for putting Draco in danger, for putting Voldemort before her family, but most of all, for killing Nymphadora, the niece she never knew, for tearing apart Andromeda. And at that moment she was glad Bella was dead. She knew she should never feel that way about her sister, but she couldn't help it.

9) Scorpius came to her first about Rose Weasley. He didn't ask her permission, which she was grateful for- she didn't know if she had the strength to turn against everything she ever knew, to turn against Lucius. He asked for advice. He told her that he was in love with her, and that he was going for it, no matter what she or his dad or his granddad thought. In Scorpius she saw the same strength she had seen in Andromeda, so many years ago, but she knew that there was no way, ever, that Scorpius was being let go of, no way he was leaving the family like Andromeda. So even though Lucius sulked for weeks, even though Draco, despite having let go of most of his childhood prejudices, nearly blew up in his face, Narcissa was the first one who met her.

She really liked Rose Weasley. Not just because she's a nice girl, or because she's smart. Because she makes Scorpius happy.

10) If there's one thing Narcissa learned throughout her life, it was that family was the most important thing in the world. Because without family, you're nobody. You have no origins. And, even though it took her a while to finally be able to admit this to herself, she would rather be a muggle-born with a huge and loving family then be a pureblood, alone in the world, six feet under after giving her life to someone who cared for nobody but himself.


	11. Hermione Granger Weasley

**Next? Maybe Sirius.  
**

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**Hermione Granger Weasley **

1) Back at muggle school, she had never felt like she belonged. She hadn't had friends, instead had just stayed secluded with her books, getting higher grades then everyone in the class and being praised by the teachers. It wasn't until she got her letter, until someone came to explain everything to her, that she realised why she didn't feel like she belonged- because she _didn't_ belong. It cleared everything up- why the night before a big test she needed to study for, she never got tired. Why, after Janet Nicholson mocked her for her hair, she came to school with half of it missing. It explained so much. And Hermione was so excited to go to this new school. Because this was where it would all change.

It hurt more then it ever did in muggle school when she was proved wrong.

2) Of all the people she ever knew, Ron made her cry the most. There was the first time with the troll, in third year when they got in that fight (she almost never _stopped_ crying) in fourth year when she realised that all these years she had felt something for him and he hadn't even realised she was a _girl_. Then there was the whole thing in the forest, when he left. She's never cried harder, never cried more, and it was hard because she tried so hard to be strong, to get over it, because she knew Harry didn't need to hear her blubbering. And yet she just couldn't stop.

But he came back, eventually. That was the thing with Ron- he always came back. Hermione could always count on him for that.

3) Sometimes, she got so sick of _boys_. So sick she just wanted to leave, to stop being friends with them and try to grow up normally (well, as normal as a _witch_ can get) without worrying so much about Voldemort or prophecies or whether she was going to live or die. Sometimes she just couldn't take it.

But she knows that she wouldn't be able to just forget Ron and Harry. She could never become friends, close friends, with Parvarti or Lavender- never. Even Ginny, who is her best girl friend, wouldn't have been enough. From day one, Hermione belonged with Ron and Harry.

4) She never really liked Victor. Not that way, at least. As a friend, yes, because he was a really nice boy, despite all the fame. However it wasn't so much that she was _attracted _to him, more that he flattered her. When Ron was completely oblivious, Victor was there, making her laugh, making her smile, making her feel like she was _beautiful_. But the first time he kissed her, she pulled away and shook her head, telling him that she was sorry, but she couldn't. Because how could she kiss Victor when she was wishing it was Ron?

5) She hated being an only child. Because she had no one to turn to in the early years, hadn't had a sister or a brother to form a bond with. And even though Ron constantly complains about it, she doesn't really understand how a big family could be _bad_. It would just like having many close friends. Hermione loves spending time with the Weasley family, because they all just mould together, even with one of the pieces missing.

But Ron wouldn't have it. He told her that if she knew what it was really like, to have such a big family, she wouldn't wish it upon her children. And Hermione trusted him, because, well, why wouldn't she? It seemed to bug Ron so much. So she had two children, and she's happy that she did. Because they can't get much better then Rose and Hugo.

6) With her grades, in the beginning, she studied hard and did well because she wanted to prove something. She wanted to prove that she belonged at Hogwarts, because if she didn't belong at Hogwarts, where did she belong? So she worked hard and did well because she wanted to prove something. And many people complimented her and congratulated her on her hard work. But then, it seemed as if it was just _expected_ of her. When she did perfect on a test, it wasn't, 'Excellent job, Ms. Granger,' it was more, 'Well, of _course_ she got perfect. I expected nothing left.' That was when her school work became a _chore _for her.

7) Despite what everyone always said, she felt inferior then people because of her blood. Because both of her parents were muggles. She felt like she didn't belong, felt like she had so much more to prove, that she had to work harder. And even if she didn't show it, every time anyone, Malfoy included, muttered that word, _mudblood_ at her, it stung, and the pain didn't lessen despite the amount of times she had heard it.

8) She knows it is _absolutely terrible,_ but she favours Harry's and Ginny's kids over the others. She really can't help it. It's just that James is so adorable, and he reminds her a bit of Harry, when he was younger, before he had all those troubles, before Voldemort robbed him of his innocence. And Albus, sweet, thoughtful, Albus, how could you _not_ love Albus? And Lily, so much like Ginny, outspoken, strong, a powerful witch with much too quick a temper... plus she had been there with them since birth, had helped raise them, almost, and Lily and Hugo and Albus and Rosie were so close, best friends...

It doesn't stop her from loving her other nieces and nephews. Molly and Lucy, Fred and Roxanne, she loves them all, of course.

9) When Rose told her about Scorpius, at first she refused to believe it. Because that couldn't be right- her baby, her Rosie, she couldn't have fallen for a _Malfoy. _And even though he was such a nice boy, so sweet and clearly crazy for her daughter, she still couldn't help but remember his fathers face, sneering at her, hissing angry, insulting words under his breath. But she shook it off, especially when they met up with Draco one odd, awkward time, and he told them that he could understood if they disapproved of the relationship, but he insisted they let it live on, because he had never seen his son happier.

That was when she knew that he had changed, and he had raised his son to reflect that change. That was when she could let go of all those names he called her, all those times he made her second guess herself and her talent, her ability.

10) She knew she was crazy about Ron. But she never really knew how _deeply _they cared for each other until he came with her to find her parents, when he held her hand as she fought back tears when they stared at her with blank, unseeing eyes. That was one of the hardest things- knowing that they didn't recognize her. But he squeezed her hand and gave her support while she cast the spell, and from that moment on she knew she could never love anyone more then she loved Ron.


	12. Sirius Black

**Wow, this update was quick !**

**You should all be proud.  
I don't actually know who I want to write next... any suggestions? **

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**Sirius Black**

1) When he was little, he looked up to Bella. He favoured Bella above anyone, he admired her, he followed her around like a little puppy dog. And she let him, which made him love her even more. Because Bella taught him how to ride a broomstick. Bella would sit with him in the quiet and eat Bertie Bott's, eating every flavour Sirius wouldn't touch. Bella told him there was nothing to be afraid of in the dark.

That was why it hurt so much, when, after the hat put him in Gryffindor, Bella wouldn't talk to him anymore. She wouldn't look at him anymore. She wouldn't go near him anymore. When she avoided him like the plague. That was why it hurt so much, hearing about all the things she had done, about her devotion to Voldemort, about her in Azkaban. That was why it hurt so much, looking into her wild eyes, and knowing that his favourite cousin was about to kill him.

2) Before he met James, he really thought that Black's were better. James was the one that made him realise that they weren't. Not because James made him feel ashamed of himself, but because James made him feel _good_ about himself. Because when, just before the train reached the station, Sirius turned to James and said, "what if I really _am_ in Slytherin?" James thought for a while, before answering, "We can still be friends, as long as you don't turn completely evil." That was when Sirius realised that James would still like him no matter what house he was in. That was when he realised that James would like him no matter what, even if his family didn't.

3) He's cried twice in his life. Once was the night when Lily and James died, when he stood in the rubble of their house and realised what had happened, what he had done. When he realised his mistake, when he knew that Peter was a spy, Peter had betrayed his two best friends. When he realised that if he had done what they wanted, they would be alive. That his over protectiveness killed his best friends.

The second time was when he heard his brother was dead. When he found out Regulus was dead, and that he had died because he had realised the truth, too late. It wouldn't have hurt so much if his brother had died because Voldemort was just fed up with him- it wouldn't have been as painful if his brother had died oblivious, died believing that Voldemort was right, was powerful. It would have been easier to hate him then. But knowing that his brother had known the truth, had died trying to destroy the cause he had devoted himself too... it killed him. Because Regulus was his brother. No matter what he had on his arm, he was still his brother.

4) In Azkaban, he nearly went mad. Because he wasn't the type of person that could live in solitude, he needed to be out, experiencing the world. He needed to feel the sun on his skin again.

And then he saw Peter. And he felt emotions he hadn't felt in years. He felt betrayal, determination, but most of all, anger. Raw anger he hadn't felt since standing in the ruins of Lily and James' house, anger that made him strong enough to get out. Because Peter would pay for what he had did.

5) He hated Snape. He hated Snape more then words could possibly describe, because Snape was a constant reminder of what he could have been, of what he would have been like, had he not been in Gryffindor, had he not met his friends. But more then that. Snape was dirty, and greasy, and had his nose in the air. Snape believed in Voldemort, Snape had hurt Lily, so badly... Sirius hated Snape. It wasn't just a childhood grudge- it was unadulterated _hate._

Which was why Sirius didn't feel bad about leading Snape into the tunnel that one time. Oh, he felt terrible about it- terrible enough that he hated himself, couldn't look in the mirror for ages, but that wasn't because of _Snape._ That was because of Remus, of his friend, of using his condition, his terrible problem as a way to fuel Sirius' hate, and he could never forgive himself for that. He didn't care what happened to Snape- maybe he was petty that way, but he didn't care. But Remus? Remus hadn't done anything. He hadn't deserved what Sirius had done.

6) He loved Harry. More then anything, he loved Harry. But what Molly had said that one time, when she had told him that he wasn't James, that had stung.

Because Harry _wasn't_ James. No matter how much he looked like him, no matter how much he was like him, he wasn't James, and he never would be. Maybe he could have been, if he hadn't the weight of the whole bloody world on his shoulders. Maybe he could have been like James, except Sirius knew that that wasn't possible. Harry couldn't be James, because mixed with James' spontaneous attitude was Lily's ability to keep a clear head, to think things through. Mixed with James' arrogant nature (he _had_ been a little arrogant) was Lily's selflessness. Harry had both of Lily and James in him, two conflicting natures, and there was no way he could ever be James.

It was when Sirius realised this did he realise just how much he missed James.

7) When he first saw Ginny Weasley, he wanted Harry to fall for her. Not because of her personality or anything- because it would have been perfect, having Harry, the spitting image of James, fall for a redhead, just like with James and Lily. But then he really got to know Ginny, and he wanted Harry to fall for her because of what she was like, because she was smart and pretty and strong and didn't seem to take his crap.

The whole redheaded thing was just an added bonus.

8) Being back at Grimmauld Place was like being back in Azkaban, only somehow, it was worse. Because even if it didn't have dementors ready to suck out his soul, at least Azkaban was _new_. But being back there, it was like he was 16 years old again, and this time, James wasn't there to take him away. This time, he had to face his demons by himself, and Sirius wasn't sure if he was able to do that.

9) He's upset that he never got to live happily ever after. That he never got married and had children, never saw them off to Hogwarts, never hugged his wife at night; never felt that feeling of completeness. But staring at Harry, he almost makes it okay. And even though he never did have kids of his own, Harry was enough.

10) He wanted to do three things while he died. He wanted to die in battle, he wanted to die protecting someone he loved, and he wanted to die laughing. He got his wish- he died protecting Harry, he died laughing, and he died fighting.

But the fact that he died fighting _Bellatrix_- Bella, his favourite cousin- that hurt him a little bit. And even though it seemed almost fitting that he be killed by a family member, that they rid the Black name of his betrayal forever, he wishes it hadn't been Bella. Anyone else, but not Bella.


	13. George Weasley

**Next is probably Draco, for the record.  
Mind you, that won't be up for a while because I'm gone from tomorrow until Sunday, so Draco will probably get to you around Monday or Tuesday.**

**I'm worried this is focused too much on Fred.  
Reassure me or agree with me, but help me out here :)**

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**George Weasley**

1) When he lost his ear, it terrified him. Because suddenly, he and Fred were... different. They could be told apart. And it terrified him, almost as if he had Fred weren't twins anymore, because he and Fred had done _everything _together. If George had a gaping hole in the side of his head, shouldn't Fred have one, too?

2) It's a no brainer that the worst thing that ever happened to him was Fred's death. Of course it was. How could it not be? Fred was half of him, Fred was his twin, Fred was his best friend. Fred was there when no one else was- it was always Fred and George. They couldn't be separated, couldn't be isolated. When Fred died, it left a hole in him, a hole he didn't know how to fill.

It would have been easier, maybe, if he had seen it coming. Or at least if he _expected_ it. But looking around the room before the battle, he thought to himself, _someone is going to die. Because we can't all make it out of this alive. We just can't. _Still, though, as his eyes raked over his parents, Ginny, Ron, his brothers, he never once thought of Fred. Because if Fred died, George died. And George wasn't ready to die.

3) As it was, George didn't die. As much as he wanted to. He didn't slump over in the middle of battle, didn't die of some unknown cause when his brother went down. He didn't feel anything at _all_. He didn't feel as if half of his soul had just been ripped out. He didn't feel as if his best friend had just left the earth. He didn't feel _anything._ In fact, he was rather enjoying himself, taking down death eaters and watching them fall. And he felt that he should have felt _something_, something that would alert him to the horrible truth. He had felt it when they were seven and Fred had broken his arm falling off a broom- shouldn't he feel it _now?_

4) It hurt a lot when his mother couldn't look at him straight in the eye for weeks after the battle. Hurt a lot when people would stare at him and start to cry. Hurt a lot no one could say Fred's name for so long after his death. Because he felt like it should be talked about- it should be out in the open, because that had to be better then to have it hanging ominously in the air between them all.

It hurt, in later years, when people no longer mixed them up. It hurt that, when he met new people, he couldn't introduce them to Fred and George, just George. Fred hurt him a lot, and he's never healed completely.

5) He never ever thought that he and Angelina would get together. Because he had never thought of her, not that way. Sure there was a little crush in fifth year, but that was short lasting, and it was Fred who ended up taking her to the ball the next year. But really, he should have known that one of them would end up falling for her. She was the only one who could actually tell them apart, after all, and they had always been friends. So one of them had to fall for her, and with Fred gone, who was there left but George?

He loves Angelina, so much. Because she's his rock, and in the beginning, would he could barely bring himself to look in a mirror, she was there through it all. It was ages before he could even bring himself to think of having a relationship, to think of giving away the pieces of his heart that had been broken when Fred had died. Ages still before he realised that maybe he loved Angelina too much for her to be just a friend. Ages still before he acted on it. But when he kissed her, gently, she kissed him gently back, never rushing him, never pressuring him, and he loves that, that she'll be with him no matter how long it takes him.

6) But still, through his relationship with her he always felt Fred's absence. So much so that one day he went to his grave and stood there for a while without speaking. Then, finally, he said, "I'm happy. I'm happy. Why can't you be let me be happy? Why do you always have to follow me, reminding me that you can never be as happy as I can?"

He can't really explain, but while there he got an epiphany. And he just knew that it was Fred. But suddenly, he realised that it wasn't Fred that was making him miserable- it was him, always bringing up Fred at the most inopportune times, making himself feel guilty- it wasn't Fred who was making him unhappy, it was George. That was when he realised that feeling guilty about Fred had been keeping him back from really being truly happy.

A few weeks afterwards, he proposed to Angelina.

7) It wasn't really like he and Angelina had sat down and discussed that they would name their son Fred. But one day, around the seventh month, Angelina leaned against the doorframe and said, "So, his name's Fred then?" And George nodded wordlessly.

He knows his son has it tough. He knows his mum, for one, had troubles saying his name for a while, and even now she sometimes gets teary eyed. But he doesn't regret naming his son Fred. Never.

8) For a while after Fred's death, he seriously contemplated shutting down the WWW. Because how was he supposed to work there, how was he supposed to work in the place he had Fred had been planning since they were 13 years old? How could he stand behind the counter and watch people play with the products Fred had thought up of?

But then Percy came. Percy came and asked him if he could work with him, and then Ron asked the same question. And George realised that the last thing Fred would have wanted was for him to close the shop. And working there, alongside his brothers, he realised that it was still Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, with him and Ron and Perce.

9) Sometimes, he just needs to be alone. Because at times, things get too much for him, too tough, and he needs to just sit by himself and ponder the way his life is going. Most people don't understand this, and it bugs him to no end the way his mother will constantly harp at him with questions, the way his dad seems completely oblivious to the fact that he needs a moment to himself, the way Ron will storm in and start complaining about his life, not seeming to care about George's.

But then there's Ginny, who will avoid him like the plague when he gets like that, and Harry, who seems to recognize his need for solitude better then anyone. Bill doesn't exactly understand, but he respects it. And Angelina will sit with him, not talking, not touching him, just there, so that if he needs it, he can reach across and grab her hand, or pull her tightly against his chest, and he loves that most about her.

10) Even now, when he's with his whole family, and they're laughing and cracking jokes and having fun, he can't help but think about his brother, about what he would have been doing, where he would have been in life. If he would have had any children, a wife.

No one talks about him, still. George still doesn't like that. Shouldn't they be talking about him, telling stories? Things like, _remember when Fred did this_, or _remember when Fred said..._ but instead there's just an awkward silence when someone slips and gets too close to saying his name, and the story goes unfinished as they all sit in awkward silence.

And George can't help but think that even after all these years, his family is just a mixture of broken pieces, broken apart completely by a 20 year old boy who laughed too much.


	14. Draco Malfoy

**Draco, w00t.  
lined up is Rose Weasley and Fred Weasley I. **

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**Draco Malfoy**

1) When he was little, he was deathly afraid of the dark. Because the dark was so scary! He heard things in the dark he didn't hear in the light, heard creaks and moans that were all just the old house, but to little Draco they were monsters, waiting for the precise moment before coming out and eating him. The dark was filled with scary unknowns, and Draco never really felt safe until first light.

When he was older, he was deathly afraid of the dark. Because at least in the light, he could pretend. He could pretend that he wasn't afraid of the war, he could pretend that he knew what he was doing, he could pretend that he was the Dark Lord's favourite. But in the dark he couldn't pretend. In the dark he was faced with his fear that he would die, that he would be killed, that he would fail and be murdered. In the dark there were monsters, and not monsters from his childhood, no ghouls, goblins or trolls- the monsters were his own personal demons, and Draco didn't know how to escape those.

2) It had actually hurt a little when Harry Potter refused to be friends with him. Not just because Draco had been used to getting everything he wanted, to having people lined up because of who he was and for his last name, but because Harry Potter was the first person to make him feel insignificant. He continued to make him feel insignificant throughout his time at Hogwarts. Draco wasn't used to being anything less then the centre of attention, so where did Potter get off, always acting the hero? But suddenly, there he was, rescuing the stone, saving the mudbloods who were better off petrified, anyway, becoming a bloody _champion_ and babbling stories about the Dark Lord that Draco knew were true.

And where did Potter get off, saving his life like that? Because nothing was worse then feeling like you were in debt to the one person you hated with more passion then most people could muster in all their lives. Who did Potter think he was?

But what Draco hated most was that whoever Potter thought he was, Draco wanted to be it. If not it, the equivalent to it.

3) When Voldemort told him his task, that he was to kill Dumbledore, he didn't really think much about it. Yes, it was a big deal, and Draco would have to become a murderer. And maybe he wasn't happy about it, but he could do it. He had never really liked Dumbledore anyway. He was... odd, crazy, a Gryffindor and mudblood lover, and anyone who thought that highly of Harry Potter was clearly off his crocker.

But then, suddenly, Draco was there. He had Dumbledore vulnerable, and there was nothing the old man could do but plead. But staring into Dumbledore's bright blue eyes, all he could see was the man who had never judged him. The man who he learned under for six years. The man who had done nothing but fight for what he believed in, and really, wasn't that what they all were doing? Fighting for what they believed in? Since when did you deserve to be punished for believing? Draco didn't _like_ Dumbledore, but he couldn't _kill_ him. He just couldn't.

4) Then Dumbledore promised him the only thing Draco really wanted in the middle of the chaos- safety. And Draco sighed, because finally he would be _safe_, him and his mother. His father wouldn't go along, but that was okay. Dumbledore would protect them. Draco didn't care about the war anymore- he didn't care about darkness or light. He just wanted to know he would live to see tomorrow, and Dumbledore would help that. Dumbledore could give him that.

Then he heard the Death Eaters from downstairs, and there was no more hope after that.

5) For a while, he hated his father. For a lot of things- for putting his family in danger, for putting his mother in danger, for sacrificing everything to serve a man too drunk on power to think straight, but most of all for the mark still imprinted on his arm, the mark he couldn't get off no matter how hard he tried, the mark that made it almost impossible to start anew. Draco hated the mark on his arm more then anything else, because the mark made it impossible to hide from what he had been.

But he found it impossible to hate his father. He couldn't turn his back on the man who raised him. But still, when Draco would lie in bed at night and let his thoughts wander to the mark on his arm, he knew he could never actually completely forgive his father for giving his only son to the Dark Lord.

6) Even though the war should have taught him differently, he believed that pure blood was better blood. He had grown up believing that- that was all he had been taught. So even though mudbloods and muggles were much more accepted after the war, Draco still stuck with his pure blood group of friends.

He kept on believing this until he met Astoria. Not because she taught him differently- she had been brought up believing the same things he had. No, he stopped believing (at least, not as much as he had used to) because he knew that even if Astoria had been a mudblood, hell, even if Astoria had been a _muggle,_ he would have still loved her. Because there was no way he could live without Astoria- no matter what blood she had.

7) He was absolutely terrified when he found out he was going to become a father. Because he was afraid that he didn't know how to be a good father. The only father he really knew was his, and looking at the mark on his arm he knew he didn't want to raise his own child like his dad had raised him. He wanted to raise his kid knowing who they were, and yet at the same time, he didn't want them to make the same mistakes Draco had made. He wanted his child to know that they were pureblooded, and be proud of that, but he didn't want them to be plagued with thoughts that they was better then everyone else, because Draco knew that thinking like that would only get you into trouble.

But it was more then that. It was the fear that his child would find out what Draco had done, and they would hate him for it.

But holding Scorpius in his arms, all those fears vanished. This was his _son_, and he was going to raise him right.

8) Despite the fact Draco had left most of his childhood grudges behind him, he couldn't help but be a little upset when Scorpius told him about Rose Weasley. Because how was it, that of all the girls out there Scorpius could have fallen for, it had to be _Rose Weasley?_ Was it fate getting back at him, karma for all those times he mocked Weasley and Granger?

But Rose was a really nice girl, and she made Scorpius happy. And besides, it could have been worse.

It could have been _Lily Potter_.

9) He is constantly faced with memories from the battle, continually haunted by what had happened, by what he had done. He would hear the screams of people he had tortured, the fire going out of someone's eyes as he stared at them, would hear the sobbing of broken families. He would see Voldemort's cold eyes as he told him to kill Albus Dumbledore, would see his mothers furious face and his fathers cold eyes, would feel the burn on his skin from the Dark Mark. He would see Crabbe's wild eyes just before he died, would see Harry Potter, would see the Dark Lord fall.

For years he faced the nightmares alone, curling up in his bed and trying to decide what was worse, the unconscious demons or the conscious ones. But now when he wakes sweating, panicked, Astoria is there to chase the monsters away.

10) He's made mistakes, and a lot of them. He knows that- he accepts that. He understands why, even now, people judge him for his name, for what he had done when he was younger. He accepts that some people hate him.

But he's trying to change. He's trying to become a better person, for his wife, for his son, for his family. And isn't the fact that he's trying good enough?


	15. Rose Weasley

**I must love you all. I busted my ass to get this to you before I was kicked off the computer, do you know that? I could have been sleeping, but no, I was writing. And now I have to go clean my house, blahh. **

**The lineup is: batting leadoff, FRED WEASLEY I !  
next up, SEVERUS SNAPE !  
after that, VICTOIRE WEASLEY !  
and batting clean up, DUMBLEDORE !  
(batting line up subject to change at any time)**

* * *

**Rose Weasley **

1) She's never really felt that she fit in as well with the rest of her family. Now, it's not as if she's a complete misfit- she always enjoys herself when she's around her family, always laughs and regrets the moment when she has to leave. It's nearly impossible to _not_ enjoy yourself when you're with her family. But sometimes, she feels as if she doesn't belong as well. Not that she's a puzzle piece that doesn't fit, exactly, just a puzzle piece that needed an extra push in order to fit. When the talk goes to Quidditch, or to flying, especially.

It's not that she doesn't like her family, or her friends. It's just that _sometimes_ the only place she can find the solace she needs is in books. So while they play Quidditch in the yard, she sits under the tree and reads. While they stress over their exams, she knows she did well, because she studied, hard. Rose just feels that that separates her from the rest of them.

2) She wasn't really scared when she was going to Hogwarts, mostly because she had heard so many stories from her cousins, her parents, her aunt and uncles, that she felt as if she belonged there, as if she had already been there. So she wasn't really scared of going to Hogwarts. She was a little apprehensive about leaving her parents for so long, but she wasn't going to admit that to anyone. So on the train ride, while Albus stressed and wondered, Rose just sat there and read.

But then they were in the sorting. And suddenly, Rose wasn't as sure of herself. Despite the pleading, no one had ever told her how you were sorted. They had just smiled at her and told her she would find out eventually. All of them! Her mom and dad, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Teddy, Victoire, James, even her grandparents wouldn't tell her! James told her something about being tested about her magical power, but that couldn't be true! Even if Rose had read about all the spells, she couldn't _do_ them, not in front of the whole school!

And then she walked into the Great Hall and saw... a hat. And she wanted to kill her family. _A hat?_ But then the hat did the one thing she never ever forgave it for. It separated her and Al.

3) She was in Ravenclaw- she should have been happy. It proved she was smart, and maybe here was where she would find people she truly fit in with, people who loved to read as much as she did, who recognized just how important school was. Here was where she would belong.

But she didn't. She didn't mesh with her fellow Ravenclaws. Sure, she got along with a lot of them, but never did she form lasting, life changing friendships with them. She was upset- Hogwarts wasn't what she had thought it would be like. It wasn't as if she belonged there. She was beginning to wonder if she belonged anywhere.

4) And then Albus, who had felt just as alone, met Scorpius Malfoy. And for a while Rose was pretty jealous, because Albus spent all his time with Scorpius, and Rosie felt like she had lost the last friend she had. But then Albus decided to introduce Rose to Scorpius. And Rose just couldn't understand why her parents and her aunts and uncles all hated the Malfoy family so much. Because Scorpius was nothing less then a gentleman- Scorpius was kind and not very Slytherin- like at all, and Rose got along better with him then with any other Ravenclaw she knew. Scorpius swooped in and made Rose feel important.

5) She's always felt like she was responsible for taking care of everyone. Not just the younger ones, but all of them. She would scold Lily and Hugo for whatever it was they were doing (they seemed to be determined to follow in James' and Fred's footsteps), would yell at James and Fred for whatever it was they were doing (for both of them seemed determine to live up to their namesakes). She would make sure Molly and Lucy were acting innocent, would be a shoulder to cry on for Roxanne whenever she felt unloved, ugly, stupid, fat, hated, or whatever else it was that she was feeling, and would always keep an eye on Louis and Dominique, who always seemed to get themselves into awkward predicaments. The only people she didn't look out for were Teddy and Victoire, who were old enough to take care of themselves, and Albus, because he was a lot like Rose, and didn't get into too much trouble. Rose was like a substitute mother, acting years older then she actually was. But who was there to look after Rose?

That question was answered when one day, shortly after she realised she might be feeling something more then simply friendly feelings for Scorpius, Teddy walked by and asked her what was up. She knows he only asked to be polite, but suddenly she found herself spilling everything to him. He was kind of frozen in place, not used to be caught so unawares like that, but for some reason just telling someone was enough. She thanked Teddy and then ran off, knowing what it was she had to do.

6) When she got back to Hogwarts, going into sixth year, the first thing she did was run up to Scorpius and give him a big hug. He laughed and swayed a little bit, but then he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, before whispering 'I missed you too, Rosie,' before planting a kiss on her head.

And then, right in the middle of the whole crowd, in front of Albus and her cousins and _everyone,_ she kissed him, hard, and it was when he started to kiss her back that she realised something- this was where she belonged. After searching for it for so long, for a sense of belonging, she had found it, there, in Scorpius' arms, with Scorpius.

She regretted this action, of course, when she had to hunt down all of her cousins and anyone else who had any contact with her family and tell them (_threaten_ was a more appropriate word, actually) that they were not to tell anybody, at all, and if they did she would make sure they got detention until they left the castle for good.

7) She and Victoire are the only ones who didn't inherit the Weasley gene for flying. While Rose had inherited her mother's lack of gracefulness when she had anything less then two feet on the ground, Victoire was just plain clumsy, exhibiting a lack of gracefulness even _with_ two feet on the ground. But Rose always hated the fact that she couldn't fly, that she was _terrified_ of flying, especially when all her cousins went off to play Quidditch in the yard, and she was left sitting with the adults and Victoire.

But then Scorpius was worrying so much about the upcoming game, the game for the cup, fretting and stressing and making such a big deal out of it that Rose just _had_ to help, because she couldn't stand seeing him like that. So she got on a broom and did what he told her to, knowing she probably wasn't helping him much, what with the way she couldn't move without shrieking, or the way she nearly fainted the one fatal time she looked down.

She faced a lot of crap for that, especially when Scorpius snatched the snitch right out from under James' nose. Her cousins all yelled at her, even her _dad_ wrote her and told her that she clearly didn't realise how important Quidditch was, and that under no circumstance was she allowed to help out the Slytherin team again (she had written him back and told him to shove it up his arse. She was grounded for _ages_ for that). But she didn't care, because the way Scorpius looked at her after, that made it all okay.

8) Hugo and James, Albus and even _Lily_ love hearing the stories about the war, about all the things their parents had done and how Uncle Harry had saved the world (he always denies this thoroughly, but it's obvious that without him, they might not have been there now). They revel in the play by play action of the battle, of the curses fired and the Death Eaters brought down, and the utter disbelief when they hear what Grandma Weasley did (no way!).

But Rose hates them. Because they scared her so much, the way death was always present, the way one wrong step would have killed her mother, her father, her aunts and uncles. She hates hearing about the way people were killed, the way her parents _friends_ were killed. It's the wars fault she never met her Uncle Fred, the wars fault Teddy has no parents, the wars fault Uncle Bill has all those nasty scars on his face.

She likes hearing about her parents' times at Hogwarts, more. The happier times, even though she understands they weren't completely happy. She likes hearing about all the stories about her mom and dad- was her dad really _that_ oblivious? She loves hearing about the way he was jealous of Victor Krum (he denies it to this day), the way he went out with Lavender Brown (he hates that story), the way her mom sent birds after him. She loves hearing about Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, the way she had been infatuated with him for years, and how he finally fell for her, too. She hates hearing stories about the war because they're violent, but the fact of the matter is Rose has always been a hopeless romantic, and that's why she likes the other stories more.

9) One of the scariest things of her life was telling her parents about her and Scorpius. Not because she was terrified that they would ban her from seeing him- but because she knew that if they _did,_ she would have to defy them, go against their word. And she had never done that! She was always the perfect child, the one who never got into any trouble (minus the whole, shove it up your arse thing), the one who brought home nearly all Outstandings in her O.W.L's while Hugo brought home, well... something quite less.

But even though her mother gaped and her father, after a long silence, started shouting things Rose couldn't quite make out, they got over it. Her mother quickly closed her mouth and calmed down her father, and after a while they were all talking about it calmly. Her father was still completely opposed to the idea, but her mother, after a few long, awkward silences, asked her, "is it serious, Rosie?" To which Rose nodded, and said, "I love him, mum."

That shut her dad up, and that made him finally nod and say, hoarsely, "do what you wish." She had hugged them both, tightly, and then rushed off to write Scorpius.

10) She always felt like she worked harder then anyone, because she did. She studied harder, worked longer, staying up into the wee hours of the night to work on an assignment she had finished ages ago. School ran her life, and she thought her parents would be proud of that.

But it was her mum who pulled her over one day, after her third year, just before she was going into her fourth, and told her that school wasn't necessarily everything. She told her that she was so very proud of all her achievements, but that sometimes it was okay to step back and let go, to have _fun._ When Rose told her stubbornly that she _was_ having fun, Hermione gave her a long look and asked, "Really?"

That was when Rose realised that it was her schoolwork that held her back, that maybe the reason she didn't have as many friends as everyone else was because she worked harder then even a _Ravenclaw_ should. So when she went into her fourth year, she really did try hard to stop worrying so much, and to enjoy herself more.

And she did.


	16. Fred Weasley I

**Holla Fred Weasley TT  
Okay, so the batting lineup is in Rose's chappie, but in case you mixed it these peeps are next (you wish you were gangsta like me xD)**

**Next: Snivellus  
And then: Victoire  
et puis: Dumblydore  
AND FINALLY: Lily Luna Potter**

* * *

**Fred Weasley I**

1) When he thinks about his childhood, he remembers George. Always George. George was there from the beginning, his best friend since before he was able to speak, to walk, to wave a wand. George saw it all and he's still there, George was there when he broke his arm, or when he tried to cook and ended up nearly poisoning Charlie. George was the one to convince that the family _would not _be better off if Fred ran away, and George was there on that night before they left for Hogwarts, to comfort Fred as he tried to fathom what it would be like, leaving behind his family. George was there through it all, which makes Fred think that he should be there for George, too.

And for the most part, he was. He was there when George got lost in Diagon Alley, somehow realising that _of course_ he was at the ice cream shop- where else could he be? He was there when Auntie Murial ripped into George about his jokes and called him names that had George crying for hours. He was there when George knocked over a whole shelf of animals, and helped him when the owner made him hunt down ever single cat, rat and toad he had lost. But when he looked down at George, covered in blood with a gaping hole in the side of his head, Fred felt like he had failed. Because he should have been there, and he wasn't.

2) He feels the need to protect Ginny more then anyone. He knows she can look after herself- she's proved that many times. He should know that, being on the receiving end of her Bat- Bogey hex a number of times. But to him, she's always his baby sister, no matter how many Death Eaters she brings down. She'll always be his baby sister, no matter how many times she hexes Draco Malfoy. She'll always be his baby sister, the one who said _his_ name first, out of all her brothers, when she was born. The one who came running to him, crying, whenever Ron did something mean. And even though he still pulled pranks on her, he always made sure they weren't _too _bad. While George always had a soft spot for Ron, Ginny is Fred's weakness, and he can't remember a time where he was more scared then when he found out she was in the chamber. In fact, that reason Fred didn't hex Harry when he found out they were dating wasn't because Harry was a family friend, it was because Harry had saved his little sister, and Fred would be eternally grateful to him for that.

3) He loved to pull pranks. He loved making people laugh, he loved getting revenge on those he didn't like. But the most important prank he and George ever pulled was with Umbridge. It wasn't just because they hated her- but how they hated her! Fred has never felt so much hate in all his life, for anybody- but because their prank gave _life_ to the students. They made them feel like there was still hope, and maybe it made life a little bit more bearable, a little easier to get through. And if that's true, then Fred's okay with the fact that his mother grounded him and George for ages after that, even if they were of age (you try arguing that with Molly Weasley- it's like talking to a wall).

4) He can't pinpoint an exact time when he and George decided they were going to open up a joke shop. All he knows is that one day, George came up to him with an idea- canary creams. After he explained them to Fred, he shouted, "This would be great for our joke shop!" and Fred had nodded along, just as excited, before rushing upstairs to get all the scraps he had thought up of for the joke shop they had never exactly decided to have.

5) He loved Angelina, because she was a good friend and she could always tell Fred and George apart. And when the Yule Ball came up, he began to notice that she was actually very pretty. So he asked her, because they were friends and she was pretty and hey, maybe something more would come from that. He knew George had liked her briefly last year, but that was short lived, and sure enough, his brother didn't care when he asked her to the ball with him.

But after, when they were heading back to Gryffindor, and his feet hurt so much and they were laughing about God knows what, he realised that he didn't want to kiss her. He should want to kiss her, shouldn't he? I mean, they had had fun tonight, and he certainly liked being around her- but he knew that he didn't want to kiss her, and he actually _dreaded_ the thought that he was going to have to kiss one of his closest friends, because that's what you did, at the end of the date. But as he was leaning in to kiss her, she quickly leaned away, before asking, "What are you doing?"

"Well, I was going to kiss you."

"And why the bloody hell were you going to do that?"

Fred was relieved. "So you don't want to, either?" He asked, just in case. Angelina was a girl, after all, and from Fred's experience sometimes girls said the complete opposite of what the wanted. He could only hope Angelina wasn't playing that game.

"Of course not. That'd be awkward as hell."

And he smiled and kissed her on the forehead instead, smiling as they both said goodnight and went their separate ways. And that was the end of that.

6) He loved Hogwarts, of course. Hogwarts was where he met his friends; Hogwarts was where he lived 10 months out of the years. He loved Hogwarts.

But Fred didn't like being _confined_. He didn't like being forced to follow someone else's rules (not that he followed many rules), didn't like having a deadline for his homework, didn't like having to sit still in class. He loved Hogwarts, but he wanted to be out on his own (well, with George, of course), out living in the world, not confined inside the castle walls. So when he and George were finally living on their own, he figured he would be ecstatic.

And yet he felt a little nostalgic, missed his mother and father and coming downstairs to the amazing smell of his mother's cooking. And, after eating out for the fifth time in a row, he knew George felt the same. So they went back home and revelled in their mothers cooking, taking home some recipes so that maybe they could cook themselves. After George burnt off his eyebrows and Fred had somehow burned a hole in the counter, however, the two somehow find themselves almost always conveniently close to the Burrow whenever dinner time rolled around.

7) He was absolutely furious with Percy. Of course he was- everyone was. Everyone except maybe his mum, who just cried all the time. He couldn't understand how Percy could be so _stupid, _so _idiotic._ How could he honestly believe that Dumbledore was wrong? That Harry was a fool? Dumbledore, who Percy used to idolize more then anyone? Harry, who had saved the lives of so many, in their family alone? How could he turn his back on his mother, who had done everything for them? How could he ignore his father, when they worked in the _same bloody building?_ He was so angry at Percy he hated him- he didn't care that he was his brother. In Fred's mind, he wasn't his brother. Nobody who turned their back on the family should be considered a _brother._

8) And yet when Percy came crawling back, Fred was the first to extend his hand. Because whether he was happy about it or not, whether he wanted to admit it or not, Percy was his brother. And if they turned their backs on Percy, weren't they all doing the same thing they had all hated Percy for doing? And eye for an eye, and all that?

9) He was terrified when Ron told them what was happening, that they had to use the ghoul, that he was leaving somewhere, but he couldn't tell them where he was going, why he was going. And even though Fred had helped, if he knew a way to stop them, he would have. Because how was it possible that his little brother was going off into the unknown? How was it possible that innocent Hermione, who could be annoying as hell but who Fred still liked, was forced to hide because her parents were muggles?

And how was it fair that Harry, a seventeen year old boy who had done nothing wrong, had the fate of the world on his shoulders? That was the only time Fred ever doubted Dumbledore (for he just knew it was Dumbledore who was behind this- how could it not be?)- when he sent three children to save the world.

10) He had a strange, gut feeling that somebody in the family wouldn't make it out alive. He knew it was terrible, but he just knew, somehow, that there was no way the Weasley's would be able to get out of this war unscathed. Yes, someone would die. He didn't want them to, but someone would die. His mum, maybe, too busy worrying about everyone else to think about herself. Or maybe Ginny, who tended to not be able to control herself once her anger got out of control. Or maybe George- but Fred couldn't think about that too much. How would he live without George?

Still, he never thought that the one who would die would be him. Because how could he die? He hadn't even _lived _yet.

And yet suddenly he was disoriented, didn't know where he was, and his one last thought was, _no, not yet_, before the light went out and he was engulfed by darkness.


	17. Severus Snape

**sjkdfhksjhfsadfjhs.  
I'm too sure about this chapter, only because it talks about Lily so much it could be hers.  
But I couldn't HELP it! I love Snape/Lily so much, not the relationship, just the fact that he was so much in love with her was willing to do everything he did...  
I just couldn't stop! I'm sorry... **

**Next is Victoire Weasley. **

* * *

**Severus Snape**

1) At first, his only memories were of yelling. All he could hear was yelling, everywhere he went, and it wouldn't go away, no matter how tightly he pressed his hands to his ears, no matter how many pillows he shoved his face under, no matter how far away he ran, the yelling was still there, following him, haunting him. The yelling wouldn't go away.

And then he saw _her_. The first time he ever saw her, she was with her whole family, leaving their house on Christmas Eve day, and her mother was holding tightly onto the hands of two little girls. The older one was wearing a blouse and a skirt, with angular features, and Severus was reminded of a horse. She was leaning away from her mother, trying unsuccessfully to get her hand free.

The second, younger girl was the one who caught his attention. She had bright, red hair that tumbled over her shoulders, and was wearing a green velvety dress with white stockings on underneath. She was probably around his age, and she was laughing, a musical sound that made Sev want to laugh along, with her. She wasn't pulling away from her mothers vice like grip, instead leaning into her, and Severus knew there was something about her. There _had_ to be.

2) His first, happiest memory that stands out to him is when he discovered she was a witch. When he saw the way the flowers came to life when she touched them, the way she seemed to fly when she jumped off that swing. He knew she was a witch- she was like him, they would go away to Hogwarts together, they would be friends. Severus had never been more excited then when he realised that he and Lily Evans had something in common, that they could be friends. It didn't even matter that she was muggle born- even if that went against everything he had been taught, it didn't matter.

And they _were_ friends. Severus had never had a friend before, had stayed away from most people, and most people had stayed away from him. But Lily was different. Lily didn't care about his clothes or his family- Lily was kind. Lily was gentle. Lily was...

Lily was a Gryffindor!? No no, that wasn't right... but as she walked over to the Gryffindor table, she gave him an apologetic look, sitting down amongst open arms and smiling faces, and Severus wanted to die. That was the beginning of the end- for nothing could ever happen between a _Gryffindor _and a _Slytherin._

3) He hated James Potter and Sirius Black almost immediately. Because they were arrogant, thought they were better then everyone else, and even worse, people acted like they were, which did nothing but add to their big heads. He hated the way Black would take every opportunity to hex him, hated the way James Potter would play with the snitch, hated the way he took every opportunity to ask Lily out. And even though he would never admit it to himself, he hated them because he could never be them, and he wanted to be them, perhaps more then he really should.

Later, he would hate them for stronger, more powerful reasons. He would hate Potter for the way he looked at her, and worse, for the way she looked at him. He would hate him more and more every time he touched her, every time they kissed, every time he would make her laugh. He hated him for having Lily, the one thing he had wanted more then anything, the one thing he could never have. And Black? He hated Black with the intensity of a thousand burning suns; hated Black more then he hated anyone, even James Potter. He hated Black because Black had killed her. Black hadn't been able to see through Peter's poorly hidden betrayal, Black had handed her over. Black had killed Lily.

4) He regretted many things in his life. He had done many things he wasn't proud of, some small, and some that haunted him, caused him to toss and turn, trying to escape the nightmares. Even a pensieve couldn't take away the regret. But there was one thing he had done, one thing that didn't haunt him- it killed him. It was the beginning of the end of his life, the beginning of the darkness that constantly enveloped him, the cloud that always hung over his head, no matter how sunny the day was. It was that word, that awful, awful word he had sworn he would never mutter- mudblood. But worse then that, he said it to her, to Lily; to the one person he had vowed never to hurt. He would have done anything to take that back, would have jumped in a pit of knives, would have walked on coals, would have given up magic, if he could just go back in time and change what he had said. But he couldn't, and the word hung in the air between them, mudblood, and he knew he deserved it when she never forgave him.

5) He knew, he just knew that Lupin wasn't normal- and he was right. Lupin was a _werewolf_. Was Dumbledore _mad_, letting a _werewolf_ into the school? Why, he could kill them all, or he could turn them all into werewolves, and then what would happen? What happened after that was all a blur and he couldn't remember much. But the worst thing wasn't that he had almost died. The worst part wasn't the detention, or being sworn to secrecy, or any of it.

The worst part was knowing that _James Potter_ had saved him. And that now, he was _indebted _to _Potter._

6) He should have known, really. Because people like James Potter always get what they want. They get everything. James Potter had money, he had Quidditch talent, he had the strange ability to not study at all and still get acceptable grades. James Potter had everything Severus didn't, but only one thing really mattered. James Potter had Lily. Of course he Lily. Why wouldn't he? He was smart, handsome, good at sports- and he wasn't dumb enough to give up the most important thing in his life to try and protect his damaged pride.

Severus tried to convince himself that if he really loved her like he said he did, he would be happy with who she had chosen, he would be happy that she was happy. And she was happy- he could see it in the way her face lit up, the way she ran into his open arms. But he couldn't bring himself to accept that she was happy- all he knew was he hated James Potter more then anyone else in the world.

7) He was still slightly undecided. Despite what the rest of them said, despite Mulciber and Malfoy and everyone he associated himself with, he still didn't know if he was willing to surrender himself completely, to have the Dark Mark burned on his skin. He would have rather died then admit the reason why- that if she ever came back, if she left Potter and came back to him, she wouldn't accept him with that mark on his arm. So he stalled. He stalled until he heard the news- until he read that James Potter and Lily Evans had wed, and that was when he realized she wasn't coming back. That was when he gave himself to Voldemort- because without Lily, there was nothing left to lose.

When he heard they had had a son, he paid little attention to the news, not wanting to reopen old scars he had long buried away. But then Voldemort told him he thought the prophecy referred to the little Potter boy, and told him, with no hesitations at all (of course not) that he would kill them all, James and Harry and Lily, his Lily...

That was when he ran to Dumbledore. Because surely if anyone could save her, it would be Dumbledore. He never felt regret or betrayal for switching sides so easily- never felt like he had chosen wrong. Because there was no way he could stay on a side that would kill Lily Evans so easily. And he truly, truly thought that with Dumbledore, Lily would be safe.

But she wasn't. And that fateful Halloween night, Severus Snape felt his heart break for the final time. Because she was dead. She was dead, Dumbledore hadn't saved her, she was dead, dead, dead, dead...

8) He hadn't planned to treat Harry differently then any other child. He knew he couldn't favour him, not with James Potter in him- never could he love James Potter's son, even if part of him was Lily. He would treat just like any other student, not allowing the memories to resurface.

But then he saw him, and he knew, without any doubt, that he was James. He was James Potter in every way, in his looks and his attitude and the way he hated Severus, the way he thought himself better then everyone else. He hated him for being James, but he hated him much, much more for his eyes. Because how dare he have Lily's eyes? How dare he have a face and an attitude of James Potter, and the eyes of Lily, of his Lily, of the most kind, sweetest, caring person he had ever met? So he hated Harry, and he never felt any guilt about it except when he looked into Lily's eyes.

9) Killing Albus Dumbledore was the hardest thing he's ever had to do. He should have been prepared- he knows that, because he had had ages to prepare. And it could have been much, much worse- he's lucky the cards fell where they did, that Dumbledore was going to die anyway, because he knows that if he wasn't...

But he never realized just how hard it was to stare into the kind blue eyes he had always took for granted, to be overwhelmed with memories of unconditional trust, of promises, of the man he had grown so close to, even if he hadn't realized it until that moment. He couldn't kill Albus, couldn't kill the man who trusted him more then anyone, he couldn't kill him...

But he had to, and he did. And he hated himself for it, for watching his body fall, for fleeing, for not being able to attend the funeral. He hated being in his spot, for making rules he didn't want to, for pretending that he was happy that he had killed him, that inside he wasn't grieving. He hated acting like headmaster, hated the way the students glared at him, hated the fact that he was doing all of this, and she was still dead, always dead.

10) He pleaded with Voldemort to let him go find Potter, because he had so much he needed to tell him, because how was he supposed to succeed unless Severus told him what he had to do? Bu he knew, he just knew he was about to die, and there was nothing he could do...

But then Potter was there, Potter took his memories, and it would be okay, even if he was dying, it would all be okay...

But he needed one last thing, and he stared into Harry Potter's eyes and pretended they were hers, before the darkness that had engulfed his life was pushed aside by light, and he saw her again.


	18. Victoire Weasley

**Alright, I just realized I have never said this, and I can't believe I haven't, so I'm saying it now-  
Thank you to ALL my reviewers. I'm far too lazy to respond to all of you, I'm sorry about that, so I just want to say thank you to all. I really appreciate it, and it helps me sit still in my computer chair long enough to actually write. Thank you all so much, you guys are awesome :)**

**So, here's dear Vicky. Next up is Dumbledore. Then Lily Luna Potter. And then, not sure. **

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**Victoire Weasley **

1) Everyone always thinks that she's perfect, because she's a Weasley and she's part Veela. But she's _not _perfect- not even close. Sure she's smart, but that wasn't really an accomplishment- basically everyone in the family was smart! And yet even after she had proved time and time again that she was the last thing from perfect, they still just didn't get it! Even when she tried to play Quidditch and failed, when she tried to cook dinner and ended up poisoning her dad, when she broke her arm by tripping over the _air._ The only thing she could really do was speak French, and what good was that when she lived in _England?_ Teddy was the only one who realised she wasn't perfect, the only one who recognized her flaws, the only one who teased her about them. It should have bothered her, but it didn't. Because it was Teddy.

2) Teddy. Teddy had been her best friend since she was born, she was pretty sure. He says he can't remember much about her birth, except that she was small and wrinkly, and he's pretty sure he didn't like her much, because he thought everyone would like her better. Victoire can't remember any of this (obviously), but the first memory she had included Teddy. She was about 4 and he was 6, and she had just seen something run up into a tree at the Burrow, and she wanted to look at it. Teddy told her it was nothing, but she wanted to see what it was. So she grabbed his hand and ran off. By the time they got there whatever it had been was long gone, but Victoire could remember that the whole time walking back, and sitting at the dinner table, they held hands.

3) She really loved going to France, because it was so beautiful, and every year Maman would take them to the Eiffel Tower and let them stand on the top and look down. And even if Tante Gabrielle was really annoying, and her children were even _more_ annoying, she still loved being there. And really, after Dominique punched Sophia, who was Victoire's age, they didn't really bother the Weasley's again.

But even though she loved it, and even though she could speak French fluently, when her parents brought up the idea of her and her siblings going to Beauxbatons, she threw a temper tantrum. A real, honest to goodness tantrum, the only one in her life. She flailed her fists and screamed and got so angry she ended up breaking all the windows in the house by accident. She was probably about 9 then, and at that time, not going to Hogwarts seemed like the worst thing possible. Because everyone was going to Hogwarts! Besides- England was her home.

4) But Hogwarts wasn't all she had thought it would be. Sure, she loved it, and she knew there was no way she would have enjoyed _Beauxbatons_ more. But the first few months, when she was still just making friends and when Teddy ignored her, she wondered if she would ever feel like she _belonged _there. But then everything fell into place- she made some friends, Teddy talked to her again and he once again claimed the best friend spot. Hogwarts was no longer intimidating, not as much, at least. But then again, everything looks better when you've got your friends behind you.

5) She should have guessed, she supposed. It was actually pretty obvious, to everybody except her. From the way he chose to hang out with her, even though she was two years younger, and he had his own friends. But it was more then that, even. It was the way he always sat close enough so they were touching, the way sometimes she would catch him staring, before both he and his hair blushed and he turned away. It was the way he would always hex the boys who broke her heart so badly they were in the Hospital Wing for days. If she had of looked a little harder, she would have seen that Teddy Lupin was crazy about her.

But she was too busy worrying about _her_ feelings. About how whenever he did touch her, that place would flare, while the rest of her body felt terribly cold in comparison. How she mocked him and made exasperating comments about how he was always around her, but how she loved it, how she wouldn't want it any other way. How whenever she caught him staring, it was usually because _she_ was staring. And that even though she pretended she hated it when he hexed her ex's, she didn't care, because it meant that she could cry into his shoulder afterwards. And how about the fact that whenever she saw him with another girl, jealously flared, and she thought of a million and one rumours she could spread that would ruin her? (She never actually spread any of the rumours, but if she heard one, she made no effort to try to stop it).

It should have been painfully obvious, but it wasn't.

6) So it came as a big shock when he awkwardly told her how he felt. When she tried, and failed, to hold back the huge grin. When she told him how she felt, that she felt the same, he laughed, before tentatively reaching down and kissing her. She, of course, kissed back, her hands running through his hair, which couldn't seem to find a colour to stay on. They kept it secret for a while, afraid everyone would disapprove, because they were like cousins, weren't they?

As it was, George and Ginny got into a heated debate as to who should get the 3 galleons regarding the bet. George argues it should be him, as _technically,_ they got together closer to his guess. Ginny says it's hers, because they told them closer to hers. Eventually, Hermione got tired of listening to them fight, and gave them both 3 galleons.

7) For a while, when she was young, she hated her birthday. Because everyone was always _sad_. When she was young, she didn't understand why- she just knew that there was never a celebration, that everyone was always sad, and lots of people _cried._ Victoire didn't understand that at all. Why were they crying? Certainly it wasn't for her birthday. Why would a birthday make you cry? At first, she hated it because it made people sad and she didn't understand. Then, she hated it because it was making people sad, and she _did_ understand. Then, she hated her birthday because she understood what it meant, how much it reminded everyone of all those they had lost. She understood why Grandmum was often crying, why Uncle George got unusually quiet, why Uncle Harry usually secluded himself. She understood why everyone was sad, but it wasn't _her_ fault. On her birthday, usually, she would just sit with Teddy while everyone mourned, waiting for it to be over. It never even seemed like her birthday.

Later, though, it got better. When the immediate effects of the war were over, when those people they had lost were more memories then anything else. Her Grandmum didn't cry, Uncle George would crack jokes, and Uncle Harry was always there, smiling and participating. But Victoire was still always sad, because she felt like that day should be a day to remember all those who had died fighting, not to celebrate the birth of an awkward little girl. So even though everyone celebrated her birthday, she always wished they would do what they used to, so she could hide away with Teddy and try to escape the guilt she knew she shouldn't have.

8) Almost everyone in her family has red hair. Louis' is faded, slightly, but Dominique's was vibrant, and all of her cousins, except Albus, have the Weasley hair and freckles. She's the only one with long, blonde, Veela hair, like her mother. She always feels left out for it, and one time, at a Weasley Family Gathering, she asked Albus if he sometimes felt less Weasley-like because his hair wasn't red. He thought about it for a minute, then told her that it wasn't the hair that made you a Weasley. It was the smartest thing Victoire had ever heard.

9) Once word that she was dating Teddy Lupin got out (although how, she wasn't really sure) lots of girls envied her, more then they already had. Everyone was always jealous of Victoire Weasley- she was beautiful, smart. But now she had _Teddy Lupin,_ too, and even those who hadn't been in the school when he had been had heard of him. One time, when she was walking to Transfiguration, a sixth year named Rebecca Palmers asked her if she had snagged Teddy by using her Veela charm.

It was the only time in her life she used the Bat Bogey Hex her Aunt Ginny had taught her.

10) Lots of people figured her mother wasn't a very good witch, just because of her looks. After all, Fleur had even more Veela in her then Victoire was, and even Victoire got the feeling that people figured she was nothing more then just a pretty face. That was why Victoire respected her mother more then anyone else. Because yes, she _was_ a pretty face. But she was so much more then that. She was a champion in the Triwizard Tournament. She turned her father into a goat when he thought she a year older then she actually was. And besides- she was the scariest woman Victoire knew! You never wanted to get on the wrong side of Maman. Victoire and Teddy often debated who would win in a fight- Fleur or Aunt Ginny.

They have yet to come to a decision.


	19. Albus Dumbledore

**GAHH, that took so long, and I'm sorry. I really am. A bunch of things got in the way, like my dreams being crushed. But that's another tale for another time. **

**Anyway, here is Dumbledore, and next is Lily Luna. I think after I'm going to do Lily Evans, but don't quote me on that. I'm also working on a Lily/James fic, but who knows when that's going to be up.**

**Again, I'm sorry. Really. **

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**Albus Dumbledore**

1) He had always told people that family was the most important thing_._ How it didn't matter how many awards you had, how many games you won, all that mattered was that you had someone to go home to, to love you. He told them all that nothing mattered more then family, and then he would sit in his room and cry and think about how much he was a fraud. He would think about his sister, his mother, his brother and father, think about all the mistakes he had made and how things could have been different if he had of known before that family was the most important thing.

He always told people that love conquers all. How the light would prevail, because all those Dark Wizards, the ones who wanted to take over the world, they didn't have love. He told them all that love sweeps away the bad because love is pure, that Voldemort himself should be pitied, because he couldn't love. He told them all that love would always win out over power, over hate, and then he would sit in his room and cry and think about how much he was a fraud. He would think about that boy, that boy whose name he hadn't spoken or thought of in years, about his crooked smile and the glint in his eyes and the way Albus felt when he touched him, how an accidental graze of skin had him flying. He would think about how love didn't sweep away the bad, how it egged it on, how it left Albus with no sense of judgement, with no ability to think for himself, because one smile from _him_ and he would go to the end of the earth for him. Love ruined him.

2) When he thinks about his father and what he had done, he knows that he can't hate him for it. He knows that, under the circumstance, Albus would have probably done the same, had he of been faced with it himself. He can't hate his father, and he knows that. But Albus has never _forgiven _his father, never forgiven him for leaving them broken, for expecting Albus to fix them. He can't forgive his father for leaving his mother to deal with what she had to, for leaving her to deal with Ariana. So he doesn't hate his father, but he just can't bring himself to forgive him.

3) His mother's death was terrible. It hurt Albus dearly, knowing his mother was dead, that he would never see her again. It was, essentially, the first death Albus had ever faced, and that made it even harder, the intense feeling of grief that weighed upon him everywhere he went. It hurt him in a way only a mother's death can- the pain, the feeling of loneliness, and the sense that his family was now broken beyond repair. But worse then that was that when he first heard of her death, for a second, he felt despair, not for his mother's death, but because everything was ruined now. It was only a second, and Albus regretted it later- how he regretted it! But it was still there, under the surface, lurking, and Albus couldn't fight it away.

But in so many ways, Ariana's death was worse. Because Albus caused her death. Even though he was never certain who cast the spell, it was still his fault. Albus was responsible as if he had taken a wand and purposely killed her, as if he had been meaning to, and looking at her lifeless body nearly drove him insane.

4) He was angry at Gellert, then. Of course he was. But he knew that he could never hate Gellert. He knew that even though Gellert had had a hand in his sister's death, he could never hate him, could never turn his back on him, and Albus hated that. He hated the fact that no matter what Gellert did, Albus would never be able to forget him.

But Gellert was his best friend. Gellert was his anchor. Gellert made him believe that he could make something out of his life, that they could create a world where Ariana didn't have to hide. Albus had enough dignity to never see Gellert again, but deep down, he hated it. And that made him hate himself even more.

He deserves the punch Aberforth gave him. He knows that. Even though people talked about it, spoke about how it was terrible that they should fight at their sister's funeral, Albus deserved it, and he's glad Aberforth did it. He knows Aberforth was ruined because of Ariana's death, and Albus had caused it- he's surprised it was only a punch, and nothing more.

5) They all told him he was the only one who would be able to face Gellert Grindewald, to bring him down. He evaded that thought for ages, because he was certain he was the last man who would be able to do that. But eventually, he couldn't evade it any longer. People were dying, and Albus couldn't have that on his shoulders. He had to stop Gellert.

He had to stop him because he knew, more then anyone, that that could have been Albus, up there beside him, killing and fighting for 'the greater good.' It could have been Albus where Grindewald was, he could have been beside him, partners in crime, ruining the world for their own foolish beliefs. Albus hates to think anything good came from Ariana's death, but something did- Albus was shocked back to reality, out of the world of Gellert's smiles and the way his eyes would bore into Albus'. Albus had to stop him because it was partially his fault- he had egged him on, he had been apart of these plans.

But looking at him for the first time in so long, it hurt. Because he _still_ could not see the man who was terrorizing the world- he still saw the boy who had charmed Albus more then anyone, who had laughed with him, who had become his best friend. He only saw the boy he had fallen for. And he couldn't kill him. He wasn't strong enough, couldn't do it, and Albus never forgave himself for that. Instead, he sent him away, to prison, sent him away for life and lay in bed at night and thought about how his eyes didn't glint anymore, how his lips didn't twist into a crooked smile anymore, and Albus mourned for the boy he had known.

6) Hearing that Lily and James were dead- that was almost too much to bear. Because he simply could not believe that the laughing boy who caused too much trouble, the one who stared at Lily Evans far too much, was dead. He couldn't believe that the too serious girl with the red hair, the one who had nearly trashed his office when she found out James Potter was her fellow Head, was dead. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that _Lily and James Potter_ were _dead_.

He had known. He knew that they should have gone with Albus, he would have been safer, more trustworthy... more trustworthy then Sirius Black.

He couldn't believe it- maybe that's why it didn't come as much of a surprise to him when he finally learned the truth. Because there was absolutely no way Sirius Black had betrayed his best friends.

7) He truthfully hadn't meant to treat Harry any differently. He knew he would always feel a certain affection for him, but he was a professional- he could act like he was supposed to, not making allowances just because he was Lily and James' son, just because he was the Boy- Who- Lived.

But he couldn't help himself, because there was just something about Harry. At first, it was just because of all Albus knew, of the knowledge of what would have to happen in Harry's future. But then he got to know him, interact, and he saw that Harry was so much more then the Boy- Who- Lived. He was the perfect mix of Lily and James, he was kind and gentle, he thought of others before himself. He valued friendship before all else, and he was brave, beyond anything. When Albus found out he had gone down to get the stone, he felt a surge of something that wasn't only worry- it was almost _pride_. Because he would be okay.

Still, it wasn't until later, when he risked his life again and again to save the ones he loved, that he realised he loved him, much more then a student and teacher- like a son.

8) He didn't think he would be able to trust Severus. He wouldn't put people's lives into the hands of someone who may or may not be playing double agent. He agreed to see him, but he didn't think he would end up trusting him.

But then he saw the pure anguish in his eyes. The pain. And he knew then, without a doubt- because you can't fake that. There was no way.

People talked a lot about trusting Snape. They didn't think he deserved, still thought he was going to betray them all. He would never tell them the reason he trusted him. It wasn't his place to tell. But he knew that there was no way Severus Snape could go back to the man who had killed the woman he loved.

9) He could have gone down to see Aberforth. He knew where he was, knew he was so close to him. But he didn't. He could have gone down there and fixed everything, made amends, explained and made up with his brother, with the only family he had left.

But he didn't, and he doesn't know why he didn't. But he just couldn't bring himself to walk down and pretend like everything was okay, like nothing ever happened. Because Albus killed Ariana and Aberforth never forgave him for that, and it was much easier pretending he lost his whole family then to face rejection from his brother. Because at least, without knowing, he could pretend Aberforth lay in bed at night, thinking about visiting him. Sometime's it's just easier to pretend.

10) When Severus told him he had only a year to live, he didn't feel anything he should have. He didn't feel regret, or incomplete. He had lived, much more then others had lived. He had loved, even after being broken. The only thing he regretted was the pain that would come to both Harry and Severus, after he was gone, but what could be done about that? He was happy with his life, even with the hardships and the mistakes he had made.

When he died, it wasn't even painful. The pain came from seeing the others mourn, see Severus do what he had to do, see Harry grow up so fast. He didn't care about his death, only about the others- that was how he was. Maybe love did conquer all, after all.


	20. Lily Potter II

**I'm sorry! I really am, I'm horrible, I am, I'm sorry. I promise updates will come faster, it's been a busy week, and as of right now it hurts to move anything. God love baseball. I'm confined to my basement because it hurts to move. **

**Here's Lily, next up is Lily Evans, I think, or James Potter, I haven't decided who's coming first. Then Petunia, and then I want to do Charlie Weasley. **

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**Lily Luna Potter**

1) Yes, her dad is Harry Potter, the one who defeated the Dark Lord, who accomplished more by the time he was 15 then most wizards do in a lifetime. Yes, her mum is Ginny Weasley, who had been one of the best players on the Hollyhead Harpies. Yes, her aunt is Hermione Granger, one of the smartest witches at Hogwarts, and yes, her uncle is Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend and a member of the 'Golden Trio'. Yes, her uncle is him, and her aunt is her, and she's named after her and her, but what people always forget is that she _is not_ Lily Evans, she _is not_ Luna Lovegood, nor is she her mother or her father, her uncle or her aunt. She is Lily Luna Potter. She's tired of people comparing her to others, tired of being told stories, tired of people expecting her to follow in the footsteps of others. She is _Lily Luna Potter,_ and she just wants to forge her own path. She loves her name; don't get her wrong- she likes that she was named after people. But sometimes she wishes she was named something else, so people would have realistic expectations about her.

2) She loves her name, but still, the first time she passed by the Memorial at Hogwarts and saw her name, she forgot that it wasn't about her, and she nearly broke down, right there. _Lily Potter._ But then she remembered that it wasn't _her_ name, it was her grandmother's. But Lily was still upset, and she made sure that if she ever looked at the Memorial again, she would purposely avoid the spot where the names _Lily Potter_ and _James Potter_ were- because seeing her brother's name was disconcerting, as well.

3) The two years before she went off to Hogwarts and her brother's were gone were nearly impossible to endure. She would anxiously await their letters, or for the presents they had promised to send her, but that wasn't nearly enough. _She_ wanted to be at Hogwarts. That was when she and Hugo became nearly inseparable, because they were the ones left behind. They had always been close, but that was when they became best friends.

So it really, really hurt when the hat put her in Hufflepuff, and Hugo in Gryffindor. Because she wasn't supposed to be _separated _from him. They were supposed to do everything together! They couldn't be in different houses! That would surely tear them apart.

But it didn't. They were still as close as ever, even though they were in different houses. They were as close as Al and Rose, and they weren't in the same house either! That was when she learned that true friendships are hard to break, and it's even harder when it's family.

4) She loves her brothers, very much. She loves how they treat her like a girl, but how, at the same time, they always include her in their games, let her play Quidditch with them, and even James always acknowledges her when they pass in the halls. But sometimes, having older brothers is just _so annoying!_ Especially when you just know that Jacob Longbottom is going to ask you out, and James comes up and drags you away! Or when you're talking to Gabe Allen, and Albus 'accidently' slams into him! Brothers could be _so_ infuriating.

She talked to her mum about it, once. She told her that Albus and James were stupid and that they needed to realise that she was a big girl, she didn't need their help! Ginny had laughed and told her that if she thought she had it bad, she should try growing up with six older brothers. After some of the stories her mum told her, Lily realised she didn't really have it that bad.

5) She was always good friends with Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, even though they were younger then her, and whenever somebody would make fun of them at Hogwarts, she would be the first one to jump to their defence. She was always closest to Lorcan, even though they are almost nothing alike. But that doesn't matter to Lily, because he's her friend, no matter what he likes to believe, no matter what stories he tells. With Lysander, she never really talked to him much, not as much as her brother, anyway. But then, she started to feel something change. When she was with Lysander, she felt something in her shift, as if the way he talked to her affected her whole body. And when he accidently touched her, Lily felt her skin spark and she wished he would do it again. She was terrified of these feelings, because Lysander was her friend, and he was two years younger then him! But then, on the night of her graduation party, they sat together at the lake, and Lily was reminded of a story Teddy and Victoire had told them, about _Teddy's_ graduation party, and she vaguely wondered whether that was going to happen to her and Lysander, when he suddenly pulled her face around and kissed her.

6) She's always been good at Quidditch, because nearly _everyone _is good at Quidditch, except for Rose and Victoire. But everyone has always been better then her. She made her house team as a Seeker, but James was _always better_. Whenever she played him, he would always get the snitch first, and whenever they played Slytherin, Scorpius would always get it. It wasn't that she was a bad player; it's just that they were so much better. But one game, when Lily was playing Gryffindor and zooming around looking for the snitch, Lily saw it, on the other end of the pitch. She flew towards it, expecting James to be right behind her to snatch it from under her nose, but when she chanced a look around she saw he was far away, flying at her with a wild look on his face. Lily was confused- why had it taken him so long to realise? But as she grabbed the snitch and held it up, and the crowd cheered, she saw James flash her a big smile, and she understood immediately.

She wishes he hadn't let her win like that, but at the same time she's pretty happy, because she was the hero for _ages_ afterwards.

7) She's never really been the smartest, instead using a smile and batting her eyelashes to get what she wants. And maybe she's taken advantage of her famous parents, a little bit. And she always put off studying. Always. She just wasn't one to sit down and stuff her head in a book. Especially not in a place like Hogwarts. So, while even Hugo was studying, Lily just brushed it off, always using the excuse, 'exams are ages away,' to get out of it.

But then, suddenly, they weren't. They weren't ages away, they were right around the corner, staring her down and laughing at her. And she was _stressed_. Her parents would kill her if she failed!

It was Rose who stayed up with her all night, helping her study. She put aside her own studying to help Lily, and Lily knows that if it hadn't been for Rose, she would have failed _everything_. As it was, she got mostly E's, a few A's, and one O, in Charms. She only got one failing mark, and that was in Astronomy, but really, she didn't care much about that.

She had always thought Rose was kind of stuck up. After that, she became one of her favourite cousins, after Hugo.

8) Her favourite Uncle isn't Ron, or George, or Bill, like everybody else's. Her favourite uncle is Charlie. Not because he gives her presents, or because he tells her jokes, but because he acts like himself around her. With his brothers, he acts like they're all teenagers again, while with her mum, he acts like an overprotective older brother. With grandma Weasley, he's constantly on guard, it seems, ready to field any question she throws at him. But with Lily, it just seems like he doesn't pretend, like he just... is. Lily loves him for that, for the fact that he can put that much trust in her, can be himself around her.

9) She loves her cousins, but sometimes she just needs to get away from all the... red. She wouldn't change her family for anything in the world, and she knows she has it luckier then many. Hugo is her best friend, and her and Rose get along like sisters. James and Albus are too overprotective, but she loves them anyway, and even her older cousins, like Fred and Roxy and Lucy and Molly, she gets along great with that. Victoire acts like a mother to them all, and even Teddy, who they aren't related to, is like Lily's older brother. She love's them all, more then anything.

But sometimes she needs to get away- because there really are no secrets in her family. And if there are, they aren't kept for very long. Sometimes, she just needs to step away and spend time with her other friends, like Jeff Longbottom or Ashley Sparks. But eventually, she'll get a little sick and tired of having to explain her thoughts, or of not being able to share inside jokes, that she goes and finds her cousins once again, because in the end, they are really her best friends.

10) There's something about Care of Magical Creatures that made her take it all through Hogwarts. She was never planning on going into anything involved in magical creatures, but she just found the subject so very interesting, she couldn't stay away.

It wasn't until one day in fifth year, when Hagrid ate some bad meat and was in the Hospital Wing for a day, that she realised it wasn't actually the subject she found so interesting. Sure, the animals were all really interesting. But the way the teacher explained it, it was just so _dull_. That was when she realised that it was Hagrid who kept calling to her. The way Hagrid really knew about the creatures, the way he seemed to have a special bond with all of them, the way he was still so nervous about teaching, even after all that time. It was a Hagrid she didn't get to see when she went to tea with him- it was a new Hagrid, and she loved him just as much as the old one.


	21. James Potter I

**I felt bad for my lack of updates, so I'm giving you this one quick! I did James first, next up is Lily, I'm almost done hers, and then Petunia, and then Charlie, if anyone was wondering. **

**I actually really like this. Let me know if I'm justified in that, and review, thanks?**

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**James Potter I**

1) He always thought he had it hard. Well, not _hard,_ but that his life could be so much better. Yes, he was brought up being taught manners, with a big house and two loving parents, with good food to eat. He was loved, but his parents were so strict. It was like he couldn't do anything! He always resented them for that, believing that others had it so much easier then him.

Then he met Sirius on the train, and he felt so guilty about feeling like that. Because Sirius had it so much harder. Compared to Sirius, James' life was a walk in the park. It was a night time stroll, it was a cup of tea, it was a cake walk. He felt terrible for believing his life was hard.

Then, he found out about Remus. And he didn't just feel terrible- he felt downright _ashamed,_ for ever believing his life could be better.

2) Sirius has always been his best friend. When faced with the actual question, he would say all the Marauders were his best friend, but that's not true, and he knows they all know that. He feels guilty about it, but from the moment they met on the train he knew that Sirius would be his best friend, that Sirius would change his life, and he did. Because he could tell Sirius anything (except that he could tell Sirius anything). People thought Sirius was obnoxious, was a bad friend, would blab anything you told him, but if he knew (and he always knew when) that what you were telling him was serious, he would keep it quiet, and he would comfort you. Sirius was always his best friend. He trusted Sirius with his life.

3) It was Sirius who suggested they become animagus for Remus. James didn't think it was a good idea, at first, because not only was it illegal, but something could go terribly wrong. Something with their bodies, something irreversible. But then he thought about Moony, thought about what he went through every month and how much they could help him, and he just could not let his friend suffer like that, not when they could _do_ something about it. So he studied, hard.

He regrets that hesitation, now. He knows that there was no way he could have known that it would go smoothly, but he wonders that if he hadn't thought about it so much, if they could have figured it out sooner, saved Remus some of that pain.

Remus was horrified that they had figured it out. He said he was worried they would have stopped being friends with them. When they showed him what they had done, he almost cried. He tried to pretend he didn't, but James could see the tears. In the end, it was this, becoming an animagus, that was one of James' proudest moments.

4) He didn't actually notice Lily Evans much until third year. He had always known she was there, of course, always knew she existed, but he had never paid much attention to her, especially since she was friend with Severus Snape, which made James make assumptions about her that didn't fit her at all. But suddenly, on the train in third year, James turned a corner and crashed right into her, and she was knocked off her feet, glaring at him as she straightened herself out and stood up, spitting his name as she walked away. It was no different from her normal attitude- she had a strong dislike for him, for reasons he didn't really know- but it was as if James had been hit over the head with a frying pan. He was in a daze, a Lily Evans induced haze, and he couldn't get out of it. He was fascinated by her- by her temper, and the way it matched her hair, by the way she could find a fault in every single thing he did, how the only person she probably hated more then James was Sirius. The way she bit the inside of her cheek when she nervous, and how she spent her time cooped up, studying. How, when she smiled, she glowed, but she was mostly frowning. And how she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He wasn't exactly sure what he had done, unless she held a grudge against him for being cruel to Snape, but she wouldn't give him the time of day. He asked her out nearly every chance he got, and she always said no, getting angrier and angrier every time.

Lots of people thought it was just a crush, and when it persisted, through third, fourth, fifth, they said it was thrill of the chase. They didn't understand that James actually really liked her.

5) When Snape called her that word, he felt a rush of feelings. He felt disbelief, because he just couldn't believe that he would say something like that. They were close, best friends, although how he couldn't understand. He also felt happy, which he felt terrible about later, but at the time all he could think was that now Lily would be free, she wouldn't be with Snape, he could definitely convince her to go out with him now. But more then anything, he felt anger. Anger at Snape, because _how_ could he do that? How could he hurt her so much, when he had claimed to care so much for her? He wanted more then anything to hurt Snape so bad he would be in the Hospital Wing for weeks, and that rage intensified every time he saw the hurt look in Lily's eyes. He could have killed Snape for what he had done, for hurting her.

6) He gave up on her in sixth year, when she finally lost all self dignity and screamed at him until she turned purple in the face, when she shrieked and called him names and told him that if he didn't leave her alone she would kill him, muggle style. That was when he realised that it wasn't going to happen. Because he knew then that even though he had changed, even though he had grown up, she would never believe. That time, he had asked her out in private, when they were alone, and asked for nothing but a simple trip to Hogsmeade, but she still rejected him. He stayed clear of her after that. That was when he realised it was useless, but it was also, ironically, when he realised he was in love with her.

It wasn't just a crush, it wasn't the thrill of the chase, he was in love with her, with every fibre of his being, and he would do anything to have her. She hated him, and she wanted nothing to do with him, and that hurt him far more then nothing more then a crush would have done. He loved her, and she hated him- perfect.

7) When he found out what Sirius could do, he didn't stick around long enough to hex him, or yell at him, or punch him, or anything else that he deserved. He just ran, faster then he's ever ran before, praying that he wasn't too late, praying up until he dragged Snape out of there, until they were safe in the grounds. Then he started fuming, anger growing in him that could have rivalled Lily Evans'. He would _kill_ Sirius.

But he didn't. He didn't kill Sirius- he didn't even stay mad at Sirius very long. He just ripped into him, calling him all the names he deserved, and then he saw that Sirius was really sorry for what he had done, and he forgave him. Of course he forgave him. Sirius was his best friend.

Remus, on the other hand, stayed mad at Sirius for so long that James began to wonder if the strong bonds of friendship they had formed over the years could last through it. But then Sirius went to Remus and all but grovelled at his feet. He asked him to forgive him, explained how sorry he was, and acted so very un-Sirius like that James could barely stand to watch. But he did watch, watched closely enough that he could see when Remus' eyes started to soften, when he began to forgive him, and James firmly believed that they would all make it.

8) He really doesn't know what Dumbledore was thinking, making him Head Boy. But suddenly, he was, getting a new room and responsibilities, and being thrust into an unwilling relationship with Lily Evans (unwilling on her part, anyway). She still wanted nothing to do with him, and James had been happy to oblige, since staying far away from her made it easier to forget about how much he really loved her. But being so close to her, that made the hole in his chest ache even more. Because suddenly, Lily Evans wasn't just an unattainable girl- she was funny, and sweet, and kind and caring, when she let her guard down. She was warming up to him, but James never allowed himself to believe it, not willing to face more pain. He refused to believe anything, up until she marched up to him and kissed him. She kissed him, long, hard, and with more intensity then James could have imagined, so he knew it was real. And suddenly, he was healed, healed with Lily Evans, and he was ecstatic.

He proposed shortly after they graduated. They hadn't been together long, but James just knew they were meant to be together, that they belonged. So he proposed, and she said yes, but their wedding was less then perfect. It was terrifying, because even as he said his vows, he had his wand in a place where he could grab it quickly, and there were defensive spells everywhere. When he should have been concentrating on Lily, instead he was concentrating on the fact that if they should be ambushed, he would die protecting her. In the end, he was concentrating more on the war then on his wedding. It was as if he was marrying Voldemort.

He forgot about that, though, when he heard he was going to become a father. He was terrified, of course- he didn't know how to be a father, and was it really safe, having a child in the middle of a war? This wasn't the world to bring a baby into.

But then he held Harry in his arms for the first time, and everything felt right. There was a still a war raging, people were still dying, and him and Lily and Harry were in danger every second, but still, this, holding his son, it was the only thing in the world that really mattered, the only thing that counted, the only thing that was right.

9) He wanted Sirius. Because Sirius would be the most trustworthy, the safest bet, because Sirius would rather die then give up James and Lily. James knew that. So even when Dumbledore asked them to choose him, James knew that they would be safer with Sirius. Sirius wouldn't betray them, he couldn't. Sirius was his best friend.

But Sirius told him to go with Peter, because Voldemort would know they had chosen Sirius. It would be obvious. James couldn't argue with this logic, but he had a nagging feeling, like something wasn't right, something might go wrong. He shook it off, though, and he told nobody about the switch, knowing it was probably better that nobody knew they had switched from Sirius to Peter. He trusted Peter with his life, maybe not as much as Sirius, but he trusted him nonetheless.

10) He never, ever thought Peter would betray them. It just didn't seem possible. Peter was one of his closest friends. They had been friends since the beginning, they had done everything together! Peter couldn't betray them!

But he had, and James suddenly realised what that nagging feeling had been, but he didn't have time to dwell on the betrayal before he rushed forward to face Voldemort. It was dumb, he knew, but he had to _try_, had to try to help Lily. Lily, and Harry, and Sirius, they would blame him... and Lily, and Harry, Lily, and Harry...

It didn't hurt at all, it was quick. Later, he would be grateful for that. But all he could think, at the time, was that he hoped Lily and Harry got out alive.

And yet he knew that they wouldn't. They couldn't.


	22. Lily Evans Potter

**Lily Potter I**

1) Petunia had always told her magic wasn't real, magic didn't exist. While Lily would stay up on Christmas listening for Santa Claus, or would sneak down on Easter to look for the Easter Bunny, Petunia would scoff and go back to sleep, mocking Lily for her beliefs. But Lily didn't care, because they had to be something more.

She was surprised, when Severus told her what she was. She never actually believed him, fully, never allowed herself to fully accept the idea that she was a _witch,_ that she could do magic, that she was be going away to school to learn how to do magic. She never allowed herself to believe until she got her letter, until a real life wizard showed up and explained it to her, to her parents. Even then she was still terrified that someone was going to pop out and say 'April Fools!' It wasn't until she was in Diagon Alley, when she was in the wand shop and Ollivander was rushing around, a smile on his face as he snatched wand after wand out of her hand before she could even try it, that she believed. Because once she found her wand, everything seemed to fit. It was like it had been designed specifically for her hand. This was _her_ wand, and she was going to do magic with it.

2) When Petunia stopped talking to her, when she ignored her, it nearly made Lily want to give up magic, to go back to how things had been, when there was no magic and they were sisters, close like best friends, whispering into the night. Almost. But she knew there was no way she could ever give up this whole new world, because she finally felt like she _belonged_ somewhere. She belonged there, on that platform, with a trunk packed with clothes, an owl in a cage, and a wand, a magic wand. She belonged on Platform 9 3/4, belonged with others who could do magic, and even though it hurt her so much that Tuney wouldn't talk to her, she wouldn't give up her magic for anything. How could she deny who she was? It hurt her that Petunia wouldn't accept her, but Lily wasn't going to change for her approval. She couldn't.

But still, she never figured it would get as bad as it got. That she would dread summers, when she had to go home and face the silence, the awkwardness. They didn't feel like sisters anymore, they felt like strangers living in the same house, and it hurt Lily more then she would ever admit.

3) Hogwarts was more then she could have ever imagined. Its beauty, its grandeur... it was more then Lily could have hoped for. It was beautiful, and Lily loved it before she even stepped foot into it. Severus had told her all about Hogwarts, but nothing he had said even came close to describing the castle accurately. Lily was awed, she was in disbelief, she was... terrified. Severus had told her about Sorting, but she was still scared- what house would she be in? What if the hat rejected her? What if it told her that she wasn't a witch, after all, and that she needed to go back home? Sev had told her that he wanted her to be in Slytherin, but she didn't even know what it was! How could she be in Slytherin if she didn't know what it was!?

As it was, the hat debated between placing her in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, although Lily had no idea what any of this meant. When it finally placed her in Gryffindor, all she could do was stumble off the stool and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other as she shot Severus a sad look and made her way over to the Gryffindor table.

4) Lily learned a lot about Hogwarts in her years there, and she began to learn so much about magic that you wouldn't have known she was muggle born unless she had told you. But what she did learn is that it is very uncommon, discouraged, that a Gryffindor be friends, well, best friends, with a Slytherin.

But Lily continued to stay friends with Severus, because Severus was her friend. He wasn't what everyone made him out to be- he was kind, caring, and knew just what to say to make her feel better. But she wasn't in love with him. She was never in love with him, although many people thought this was true, because they just couldn't understand how a boy and a girl could spend so much time together and not fall in love. But Severus was only ever a friend, and even though she sensed that maybe he wanted something more then that, she knew they could be nothing more.

People said a lot about Severus, and Lily hated it, because he was her friend. Besides, Severus was much better then that _James Potter..._

5) For nearly four years, Potter tormented her. He followed her around like a puppy dog, constantly showering her with compliments that could also have been taken as insults, such as, "you are so much prettier then the git you hang out with, Evans," in which case she either brushed him off or insulted him. He continually asked her out, not seeming to care that her answer was always no, making sure that he made a great show out of it, asking her in the middle of the hallway, of class, or right after a bloody Quidditch game. He was arrogant, completely, and she hated him, hated his friends, with the exception of Remus Lupin, and she just couldn't understand how anyone could possibly be so bloody arrogant. How did his shoulders hold up that big head of his? The only person she hated more then bloody James Potter and his followers was Vernon Dursley.

6) When Severus called her a mudblood, she was more hurt then she let on. At the time, she played it cool, acting like it didn't phase her, even as Potter jumped to her defence, and later, when her friends asked her about it, she told them she didn't have time for people like him anyway, and better she know now what he was really like then later.

But inside, she was breaking. Inside, she was unravelling, because how could he do that? After all the times he told her he didn't care about blood, all the times he told her she was his best friend and it didn't matter that she was muggle born, all the times he talked about his Slytherin roommates who talked about muggle borns and how much he hated when they did that, _howw could he?_ could he say that to her? He had promised he would never do something like that, so _how could he?_

She had been speaking the truth when she told her friends she didn't have time for people like him, because she refused to forgive him. She told them it was for the sake of her pride, but the fact of the matter was that he had hurt her so very badly that she didn't think she would be able to trust anyone again, let alone him. Even when he begged her, she stayed stony and cold, because she wouldn't let her guard down and succumb to the part of her that wanted to forget about everything and be friends with him once again. Eventually, he gave up and started hanging around with those same people he once claimed he would never be like.

Sometimes, she wonders if she had forgiven him, if everything would have turned out differently. If he wouldn't have become a Death Eater, if maybe she would have fallen for him eventually, if maybe they would have gotten married. But she never regrets turning her back. She only wishes she hadn't needed to.

7) James Potter was _Head Boy_, and she was bloody angry about it. How could Dumbledore have made him Head Boy? A prankster like him! And he hadn't even been a prefect! She could understand why Remus wouldn't want to take the position, but there were much better candidates then James Potter!

Still, though, Potter did better then she expected. So much better that she began to call him James, and she didn't yell at him nearly as often- she barely yelled at him at all. And you know, when James Potter wasn't being a pompous idiot, he was actually really funny, and sweet, and sometimes he would say things to her that would cause her cheeks to go bright red, things no boy had ever said to her before...

It took her a long while to finally admit that James Potter wasn't as bad as she had always thought, and an even longer time to admit she was falling for him. But she was. She still found him ridiculously infuriating at times, but she couldn't deny that he was good looking, and very sweet, and caring, and he was smart, when he chose to be. And he seemed to actually care about her, sometimes. Sometimes when she caught him staring, the few times when he wouldn't make an obnoxious comment but would blush and look away, or when he would smile and she would be caught in it, or in his eyes... maybe it had been inevitable, that she would someday fall for him. So one day, she took a chance and kissed him, and she knew as soon as their lips met that this was right, this was where she was supposed to be, because suddenly she felt whole, complete, as if she had never been broken, by anyone or anything.

8) The death of her parents destroyed her. Completely destroyed her, so that she was hanging over the edge of a cliff, close to the edge, and she didn't know whether to jump or turn around, didn't know if there would be anyone to catch her when she fell. With their death weighing on her shoulders and Petunia still refusing to talk to her, that was the only time she ever wished she had never become a witch, the only time she wished she couldn't do magic, that she was normal, that she had no idea about this world and how much she belonged. Because maybe if she hadn't have become a witch, this whole thing wouldn't have happened. Her parents would be alive and happy, and Petunia wouldn't hate her, they could be sisters again, best friends again, and Lily wouldn't be so close to a complete and total breakdown.

The only thing that kept her from a complete and total breakdown was James. James was her rock, James kept her grounded, he was the one who led her away from the edge of the cliff and into safe territory. She felt safe with him, and even though nothing could ever take away the pain she felt, James numbed it, made it so that she could think logically about them, not let grief completely claim her. With James at her side, she was able to stand at the funeral with only silent tears trickling down her face, was able to make a speech about the amazing things her parents had done, was able to see the caskets. With James at her side she was able to take the glares Petunia shot at her, was able to take it when she glided past her. James was there, and that didn't make everything alright- but it certainly helped.

9) Finding out she was pregnant was the scariest and the second happiest day of her life (coming second to the actual birth). Because she so badly wanted to be a mother, she wanted to hold her baby and know that it was hers, that she would be able to watch them grow up. She was meant to be a mother. But at the same time, what kind of mother was she, really? Having a baby in the middle of a war? Her child would never be able to play outside, would never be able to play Quidditch with their father, wouldn't be able to go to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, the world would never be safe for them! So what was she doing, having a baby at a time like this?

She knew James was just as frightened as she was, she could tell. Even though he grinned and hugged her and told her that was great, she knew that he was thinking about all the things she was thinking of, about how their baby would never feel completely safe, how they could never have a normal childhood. But all those fears were wiped aside when she held Harry in her arms. Yes, there was a war going on, yes, people were dying, but this was her baby, this was her son, and there was no way she could imagine living one more day of her life without Harry.

So to find out the _prophecy_ was about him? Her world ended then. There was no way, it couldn't be! But it was, and all she could think was that there was no way she would let Harry die. She would do anything she needed to to ensure that Harry _did not die._

10) She trusted Sirius with her life, she trusted him as her secret keeper, and she felt safe, knowing that he held their lives in his hands. Because Sirius wasn't just her husbands best friend- Sirius was her friend, he wasn't the arrogant hothead she had always thought of him back at school, he was loyal and funny and could always make her laugh, and he would never betray them. She trusted Sirius with everything, with Harry's life and James' life and her life. She felt secure with Sirius, even though Dumbledore urged them to pick him.

She did not feel like that with Peter. Because she had never felt connected with Peter, she always felt safest with Sirius. But Sirius told them it would be fine, so she believed him, because it was Sirius, and she trusted him. James assured her that Peter was just as trustworthy as Sirius, and she believed him, because it was James, and she trusted him. She trusted Peter, not because she trusted him, but because she trusted those who trusted him.

But Peter wasn't trustworthy, and suddenly Lily was faced with what she had been having nightmares about for what seemed like forever. Voldemort was there, at their house, Voldemort was coming for Harry and he would kill her and James to get to him. She was sobbing as she burst through the door to Harry's room, because James was dead, there was no doubt about it, and soon she would be dead, too, and she didn't want to be dead. She would die protecting Harry, of course, but she didn't necessarily _want_ to. She had so much left to do! She had never met her nephew, never made up with Petunia, she hadn't _lived_ outside of this war. And everyone would blame Sirius! How could that happen, how could Sirius be blamed for Peter's betrayal?

So she threw herself in front of her son's crib and gave him one last kiss goodbye before Voldemort came in and killed her, and all she could think, as suddenly she was enveloped with darkness, was that she hoped the charm had worked, she hoped Harry would be protected, would live. But was there really any hope? Any hope at all?


	23. Petunia Evans Dursley

**Next is Remus!**

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**Petunia Evans Dursley **

1) She had never really wanted a baby brother or sister. Most kids did, but Petunia was happy with being an only child. That way, she would always be the center of attention. Petunia didn't want her parents to be preoccupied with a silly little baby who couldn't do anything but cry and poop. Petunia was much more interesting.

But despite this, her parents went up to her one day and told her that she was going to be a big sister. And she was so _angry!_ How could they do that to her? She had told them she didn't want a sibling. But here they were, telling her that she was going to be a big sister! She was so angry; she didn't talk to her parents for 2 days.

Then her mum went into labour, and Petunia wasn't allowed to be in the room with her, and she was just so scared, because she wanted to know what was happening! Then, after what seemed like years, her dad came out to bring her in to see her new little sister. She expected to find her ugly, the wrinkly, pink little baby with the red hair, but she didn't. She didn't find her ugly at all.

2) The truth was she had pretty much loved Lily from the moment she had seen her, and she felt a strange protective urge come to life inside of her. This was _her_ baby sister, and she was going to protect her. Lily looked so helpless, lying there, and Petunia knew that she would do anything to make sure she didn't get hurt. And she did. She and Lily were like best friends, and Petunia was always there to make sure Lily didn't get into danger. But they were so _different_ from each other. Lily was outgoing, a risk taker, always willing to jump from higher places or swing that much higher then Petunia did, and Petunia preferred to stay behind, to stay safe.

Sometimes she thinks that maybe if she had taken more chances like Lily, maybe magic would have come out in her, too.

3) The first time she noticed that Lily was _different,_ Lily was around 6. She remembers how they were walking in their neighbour's garden, and it was usually so pretty, filled with flowers that smelled so good and were so beautiful, but it was winter, and it had been an early one, one that had caught everyone off guard, and all the flowers were dead, now. Petunia could remember that she was sad, because it was almost like beauty had died. But when she and Lily were walking through the garden, Lily was sad, too, and suddenly she started to run through the garden and touch the flowers. And the flowers came back to life. Right in front of her very own eyes, they bloomed and somehow they were _more _beautiful then before, they smelled so much better, and the colour was astounding, as if the world had been in black and white before that time and Lily had added colour.

Still, though, there was no way Lily could be a _witch! _She was her baby sister! She couldn't be magical, because magic didn't exist! But that Snape boy insisted on it, and what was worse was that Lily believed him, Lily actually thought that she could do magic! How absurd! And she completely ditched Petunia, instead choosing to hang out with the greasy haired boy who lied to her! Well, Lily would learn. Soon, her eleventh birthday would come, and nothing would happen, and she would learn what Petunia had always known, that magic didn't exist. Then she would come crawling back, begging Petunia to forgive her. That would show her.

4) But that never happened. Everything Petunia had been so sure about, it hadn't happened. Yes, Lily's eleventh birthday came, but along with it came an owl, an actual _owl,_ which flew in through their window and caused their mother to shriek loudly. But then, a few minutes later, somebody _else_ came, somebody wearing robes, somebody very weird, and Petunia was sent up to her room. That didn't stop her from sitting on the top of the stairs, though, listening intently to their conversation. She only got halfway through, though, before she couldn't bring herself to listen anymore.

"Mr and Mrs Evans, my name is Henrietta Swift. You must be Lily, correct?" Petunia heard her sister let out a little squeak, and even though she was angry at her she wanted to be down there to hold her hand and protect her. "Lily, why don't you do me a favour and read that letter in your father's hands, okay?" Then it was quiet for a minute, before Lily spoke.

"So, so... Severus was _right, _then?" Lily asked in barely over a whisper, so Petunia had to strain to catch what she had said.

"Severus?" She heard the lady ask. "Severus Snape," Lily answered. "He told me I was a witch. So... it's true?"

Petunia didn't stay to hear the answer, because she already knew. It was all true. Everything. Everything Lily had ever told her at night, when she had pretended she wasn't listening, it was all true. Lily was a witch. Lily was going away. Lily could do _magic._

And Petunia was jealous.

5) Very jealous, even though she would never admit it. She was jealous of the fact that now, her parents paid more attention to Lily then to her. Because Lily was _special_. They were enthralled by Lily and her talent, and Petunia was swept to the side. This was exactly what she had been afraid would happen, when her parents had told her she would be an older sister, so many years ago. But now, Lily wasn't a baby who did nothing by cry and poop. Lily was something much more interesting- Lily was a witch.

When they went to that place- Dragon Alley, or something- the jealousy flared stronger in Petunia then ever before. Because this place was _amazing_. This place had animals and ice cream and broom sticks that flew- this place had everything, and Petunia wanted nothing more then to belong to this place. But when Lily was trying wands, Petunia saw one that had been discarded, and she had picked it up. She expected to feel something- if Lily had magical blood in her, why shouldn't Petunia?- but there was nothing, just the feeling of embarrassment and disappointment. Nobody noticed Petunia, of course. Too busy paying attention to Lily.

When she got her reply from the Headmaster, she tried not to cry. Because it was just dumb, crying over something like that. That was when she realised what it was that Lily really was. Lily wasn't _special_. Lily was a _freak._ A weirdo. Why would Petunia even want to be a witch? Why would she want to be a freak? She was glad the Headmaster had written her back, telling her she couldn't come to his stupid school. She didn't _want_ to go.

But still, she burned the letter, after Lily was gone. She told herself it was to protect her pride, but the truth was every time she saw the stupid thing she felt herself wishing it said something else.

6) She should have patched things up with her sister. She should have apologized for being such a pig, for ignoring her, for calling her names. Lily couldn't help what she was. And besides, she was her sister. She knew Lily would forgive her, because Lily sent her letters, often. She got one at least once every week. She knew her parents only got them occasionally. But Lily constantly wrote her letters, telling her about life, and at the end, she would always sign, 'I'm sorry, Lily.' Petunia often wondered what she had to be sorry for. Lily wrote her letters even though she never responded, but eventually, the letters came less frequently, until they just stopped coming. Petunia often found herself staring out her window, waiting for an owl to swoop in through her window, like before, but it never did. She tried to pretend that that didn't hurt, but it did.

Maybe she would have patched things up with Lily if it hadn't been for Vernon. But Vernon was everything Petunia wished she was- he was normal, and he had no knowledge of anything that wasn't normal, nor did he want to know. Petunia envied him that, and she was drawn to him, feeling normal with him. That was really all Petunia wanted, was to be normal, and if she couldn't ever achieve that, she wanted to at least feel normal. Vernon helped her feel normal. She was afraid that if Vernon found out about Lily, he would leave. So she never told him, and eventually he convinced her that she had nothing to feel sorry about- Lily was a freak, an abnormality.

7) On her parents funeral, Lily's wizard boyfriend, James, came up to her and told her that everyone was in danger, and that Lily could, could... he didn't even say it. However, he had no problem telling her that _she_ could die, and that did she really want the relationship with her sister to end the way it was now? He left her then, going back to Lily's side, left her to think about what he had said.

But she _didn't_ think about it. She wouldn't let herself think about it, because she knew if she did she would break down. So she didn't allow herself to think about Lily's death until it came. But it came. Lily was dead- dead, never coming back, and they hadn't made up, Petunia had never said sorry, and now she would never have the chance. Lily was dead, her parents were dead, Petunia was the only one left. She wished she could do anything to make it better.

And then she opened her door and saw her nephew there, on the porch. She fully intended to ignore him, to put him in an orphanage, no matter what that letter said. But then the little boy opened his eyes, and she saw Lily's eyes, and she couldn't turn him away. Because she owed her sister this, at least. Vernon was furious, of course, but she didn't care, for once, because this was what she had to do. And sometimes, when Harry cried, she would go in there and rock him back to sleep, remembering when she used to do this to Lily, when she was little and scared and crying, and Petunia cried into his hair.

8) She tried to stomp the magic out of Harry, because she was still trying to uphold that normal facade. But she knew, even before the letter, that it was no use. Because the signs were there, just like with Lily, and this time she knew what to expect. Like when he grew all his hair back overnight, for instance. Harry had magic in him, and there was nothing Petunia could do about it. But still, even though Harry completely shattered any chance she had to leave behind her old life, she liked it when he was away, because it was much easier to pretend that way. And it was much easier to pretend that she didn't care when he was getting into all that danger when it wasn't happening under her own roof. She ignored Harry when he was at school, tried to ignore him in the summer, but then she just couldn't ignore him any longer.

Because he was _back_. Voldemort was back, the one who had torn apart her family, who had killed her sister, he was back, and Petunia was terrified.

9) She didn't want to go into hiding, and she knew that if she just told Vernon that it was okay, that this whole Voldemort thing was just an exaggeration, then he would refuse, and they could live normally. But she couldn't bring herself to lie, because she knew, better then they thought she did, just how dangerous Voldemort was. She could remember that day at the funeral, when that Potter boy told her about him, the look of terror and yet protectiveness as he glanced back at Lily. If the wizards were afraid of him, with all their magic, what chance did Petunia and her family have? If Lily, Lily, who was so good at magic, who was so smart, if Lily couldn't survive against him, then what hope did Petunia and her family have? So they went into hiding, because she wouldn't let Voldemort get her. He had taken her sister, had torn apart her family, but he wouldn't get Dudley or Vernon.

10) She should have spoken to Harry when it was all over. Should have, but didn't. She should have told him all the things he had never heard, all the things Lily would have said to him, but she didn't. She couldn't acknowledge his world, not after she had taught herself to pretend it didn't exist. But Harry still sent them notes, notes she ignored, notes she didn't even tell Vernon about. Notes about his marriage (he hadn't invited them, though, just told them about it) and notes about the birth of his children. Petunia ignored those, until she got the last note. _I have a little girl now, Lily._ Petunia froze, staring at the name, before throwing the paper in the fire, hating herself, because she hadn't made everything okay with Lily, hadn't made things okay with Lily's son, and now she wouldn't make things okay with her grandchildren. Petunia was ashamed, and as the tears rolled down her face, she hated herself.


	24. Remus Lupin

**Er, I'm sorry. That's really all I can say.  
**

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**Remus Lupin**

1) He can't remember life before the bite, since he was so young when it happened. He can't remember a time when he didn't live in pain, when he wasn't terrified of the full moon and what came with. He doesn't have normal childhood memories, because he never trusted himself. He almost never allowed himself to go out, because, even though it was irrational, he was afraid that he would defy the necessity of the full moon and transform suddenly and unexpectedly. Whenever anyone would approach him, he would withdraw; pull away, because he felt like he didn't deserve friends. He can't remember a time when his mother didn't look at him with a face the portrayed her pain, or when his father could look him in the eye without looking guilty. He can't remember that. Being a werewolf defines his whole life, and he hates that he has no better memories.

2) He never ever thought he would be able to go to Hogwarts. He accepted that, but he still wished that he could go, that he could at least try to be normal. He wanted to learn, he wanted to be at Hogwarts, he wanted to have friends. In his wildest dreams, he never imagined it would actually happen. But Dumbledore urged him to come, promised that his lycanthropy would be taken care of, and he believed him, because it was hard not believing Dumbledore. But he never thought that he would actually enjoy himself at school, actually make friends and forge lifelong relationships. But he did. He could never exactly understand why James, Sirius and Peter hung around him, but he was eternally grateful for them. But he never, ever told them what he was, because he just knew that they would leave, and that he would be alone again.

3) When his father told him the truth, that it was his fault Remus had been bitten, it was the summer before Remus went into fourth year. After his dad told him, he asked Remus to forgive him. Remus tried, but he couldn't. Because, as his father told him, Remus saw two things- his life as it was now, with the pain and the fear and all the secrets, and the life he could have had, with a proper childhood and real friends and petty problems. The variable was his father, the one that could have changed anything. And Remus just couldn't forgive him, not then. Not that young, barely 14. He didn't have the strength.

Then his father died, and he knew, he just knew, that he should feel terrible for not forgiving him. But he couldn't, because he once again saw his life as it was and how it could be. It took him years to finally be able to forgive his father, years of hardship and pain, until finally he realised that his father had made a mistake- many people did. But the main thing was that his father had felt guilty about it, and his father had hated himself until the end because of it. So Remus forgave him, but he only partly forgave himself for letting his father die without knowing Remus loved him.

4) When he found out what his friends had done- became animagus- he felt immensely guilty. Because they had done something illegal, not to mention that, had they have done it wrong, who knows what could have happened? But they told him that they didn't care if it was illegal, because they did it for him, and besides, nothing had gone wrong, had it? Remus was horrified they had done it, but at the same time, he was so touched he nearly cried. He managed to hold back, because he knows Sirius would have never let him live it down, but a few escaped. He thinks James might have noticed, but he never said anything about it, and Remus was grateful.

5) When he found out what Sirius had done, he didn't look him in the eye for weeks. He never spoke to him, never went anywhere near him, because he was just so bloody angry. How could Sirius do that? How could he use his condition like that, as a means to get back at Snape? Remus didn't like Snape, but never would he do that to anyone. And what if Snape had gotten close enough that Remus bit him? Remus wouldn't wish his condition on anyone, even his worst enemy. Amidst all the anger, he could vaguely feel sorry that James and Peter were stuck in the middle of it all, but how he felt about Sirius completely swallowed that feeling.

But when Sirius came and begged him to forgive him, it was more then Remus could take. Because never had he seen Sirius so vulnerable, never had he seen him give up his self dignity, when he asked Remus to forgive him. And Remus just couldn't keep the anger. It dissolved, as he watched Sirius before him, and his eyes softened and he forgave him, as he knew he always would in the end. Because it was Sirius. He never really meant any harm. He just didn't think things through most of the time.

6) He couldn't believe it. He just could not believe it, could not believe that Lily and James were dead, dead at the hands of Sirius. Had all those years of friendship meant nothing? How could Sirius have easily turned such a betrayal. Remus suddenly doubted everything- his years at Hogwarts, his friends, what they had done for him? How long had Sirius been planning this, been planning the death of his best friends?

He couldn't believe it. And yet he did.

7) When Dumbledore offered a chance to teach, at first, he was sceptical about taking it. He said yes automatically, of course- how could he deny a job, when he was so poor? He needed the job. He would have cleaned the floors, if that's what he had to do. But the simple fact that he was teaching at Hogwarts scared him to death.

For one, it would be hard, walking through the halls and remembering another time, a different time he walked through them, with his friends, back when they had no worries. Before they had been broken, separated, before Lily and James and Peter were dead and Sirius was a murderer. Then there was the Whomping Willow, all the painful memories before the Wolfsbane potion, before he was saved every month from the pain but not the humility.

And then there was the fact that Remus just didn't know how to teach. He had never taught in his life- how was he supposed to handle it? He was terrified he would do something wrong, or he would corrupt their minds and ruin them, and more then anything he was terrified they would discover his secret. But it was money, and he needed it- and after he got over the initial fears (although fear of them discovering his secret never faded) he found teaching rewarding, something to look forward to.

8) Seeing Sirius again, finding him safe, innocent, whole, it was more then he could have asked for. Because he had been alone for so long, having Sirius back in his life was having the sun come out after years of darkness.

And then, suddenly, the sun was gone again.

Sirius dying was the thing that finally pushed Remus over the edge. That was the final push, and as hard as Remus had been holding on, Sirius's death sent him over, and he let go. When he got home, he didn't make it to his bedroom, just dropping, barely making it through the door. That was where Remus Lupin fell apart, where he let go, where he sobbed his eyes out and clawed at the carpet. He cried for Lily and James and Sirius, cried for himself and for what his life could have been and never would be. He cried for Harry and for everything he had to go through, cried for his friends and what had happened to them. That was where Remus Lupin stayed the whole night.

That was where Nymphadora Tonks found him in the morning.

9) Dora picked him up and wiped his tears, Dora got him settled, put him back together. Dora never mentioned anything to anyone, never let anyone know that Remus Lupin had come undone. And somehow, through it all, Dora fell in love with him.

And the craziest thing was that Remus thought he might be in love with her, too.

But he couldn't be in love with her. Because he was too old, too poor and too dangerous for her. He wasn't good enough for her. He didn't deserve her. So he pushed her away, shoved away that light that had guided him since Sirius's death and lived in darkness for so long he forgot what the light was.

But he couldn't stay away from her, couldn't see her so sad and broken and know it was his fault, know there was something he could do to fix it. He couldn't.

So he went after her and he told her the truth, and for a while, Remus was happy.

10) Running away from her was the worst thing he could ever do, but what else could he do? He had done the thing he had told himself he never would do- he had grown close to a person, had fallen in love, and now he was having a _child_. Who knew what could happen with that child? He could have infected that child, given him a life full of pain and alienation, a life nobody deserved. So Remus ran, because he didn't know what else he could do.

Harry convinced him to go back, and he was glad. Because Teddy was his world. How had he ever run away from him? Why did he worry? Teddy and Dora was all he needed, and he was set for life. Teddy and Dora, forever.

And then all too soon, forever ended. Forever left, went up in flames, replaced with fear and the unknown and the knowledge that everything could end at any minute.

He tried to convince himself that Dora would stay with Teddy, but even before he saw her, he knew she was there.

He didn't even have a chance to say her name. He just saw her and then, before he knew it, he didn't see anything anymore.


	25. Nymphadora Tonks Lupin

**I'm picking this up again, guys. Next up I'm thinking a Weasley boy- Charlie maybe?****

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Nymphadora Tonks Lupin  
**

1) The first time she ever saw the Malfoy's, she didn't know who they were.

She saw a tall, blonde man who looked mean and who was yelling at somebody. They were in Gringott's, and he was shouting at a goblin. She had never met _anyone_ who would yell at a _goblin!_

Then, she saw a woman standing next to him. She was shorter, thin and blonde, and when she turned around Tonks saw a pair of steely, grey eyes, eyes just like hers.

Tonks never left her eyes their natural colour again.

2) She loved her powers. She loved being able to change her appearance at will. She loved how one minute, she could have brown hair, and the next, she could have pink. She loved how she could go from normal and plain to special, outspoken. Different. Because her mother always told her she should be different, she should think for herself.

Then she went to Hogwarts, and people made fun of her. They called her freak, pointed and laughed. Her mother told her they were just jealous, but Tonks knew the truth- she was a _freak._ She was different, but different wasn't so great anymore.

For two months, Tonks never changed her appearance. And then Sirius Black told her that she shouldn't let the other kids change her, that she should make her own decisions. Sirius Black told her that by not changing her appearance, she was giving in, quitting, letting them win. He told her that if she wanted to have her hair pink, then who was going to stop her?

The next day, she walked into the Great Hall with pink hair and purple eyes, and ignored anyone who made a snide comment.

3) Sirius was great. Sirius would bring her little gifts, and he would tell her stories about Hogwarts. Sirius taught her that it was okay to be different, that she was her own person, that she made her own decisions. And more then anything, he taught her that friendship was more important then anything. She even met James Potter once, and watching him and Sirius, she wanted nothing more then to have a friendship like that.

Which was why it just could not be true. No way could Sirius ever do that! No way could he kill James Potter and his wife- no way could he kill Peter Pettigrew or 12 other muggles. Sirius couldn't do that! He wasn't capable of it. Sirius gave her gifts and played with her and cheered her up. Sirius loved James and Lily. Sirius valued friendship over everything else.

But after a long time of convincing herself it wasn't true, Tonks realised that it was a lot easier to just give in and accept that some people just weren't who you thought they were.

4) She had never thought she could do anything worthwhile with her gift. Sure, she could make people laugh by transforming her nose into a pig's, and she could do impressions perfectly, but she had always thought that would be the end of it. But suddenly, she knew just what she could do. She would be an _auror_. She would help people, would find evil wizards and actually do something worthwhile with her ability. And even though she was clumsy and loud and always messed things up, she knew it would be okay. And it was. She wasn't the best there- but she wasn't the worst. But suddenly she knew her place- she was meant to help people.

5) Even if she had been warned, it was still a surprise seeing Sirius. She knew he was innocent, of course, but just the look of him- so haggard, so hollow, as if he had seen death, had faced it down, had seen horrors no one could even imagine. And he had, she knew, and that knowledge alone was enough to make her look at him differently.

But when he saw her, he grinned, that old Sirius grin she remembered so well, and she grinned back and even if it was still slightly awkward, she couldn't help but feel at home with him.

6) Which just made it so much worse when he died. They had just reconnected, and he was gone again, so suddenly? And this time, it wasn't as if he could come back. He wouldn't be proved innocent and reappear in her life like before. He was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Forever.

The thing that hurt the most was that she felt as if she didn't deserve to hurt over his death. She didn't even know him that well- surely she had no right to curl up in a ball and sob over him. Surely she had no right to miss him as much as she missed him. She shouldn't feel the way she did when Harry had just lost his godfather, a man who had meant so much to him, one of his last ways to be close to his father. And what about Remus, who had lost his only closest friend, who had finally reconnected to the man he had spent his entire childhood with? Surely Remus had more reason to be upset?

7) And Remus _was _upset. When she found him in the morning, eyes rimmed red from tears, his head in his hands, no more tears to cry but still so much anguish in his heart, her heart went out to him. She knelt down and hugged him, wiped his tears, took care of him. She and Remus had talked before that, but they had never exactly been close. She had taken an interest in him, but she never thought much of it. But suddenly, he was all she could think about. She never mentioned to anyone about what had happened, but everyone knew _something _had happened- something had happened to make her fall head over heels with a man so much older, so much poorer, and, though she was the only one to ever realize it, so much better then her.

8) Remus took a lot of convincing. His constant mantra was, 'I'm too old, too poor, too dangerous' but she never paid attention to that. She loved him. And when, one day when she got a little carried away, she kissed him, and he kissed her back. Kissed her back with so much passion her knees became weak, before he wrenched himself away from her and ran, repeating the same words, _too old, too poor, too dangerous,_ and she sunk into darkness. She wondered if she would ever see the light again when he came to her.

He told her that he loved her and that he was sorry he had hurt her, that he never wanted to see her hurt. He told her that he pushed her away because he was afraid of all that he could do to her, afraid of his love for her, afraid that he would lose her. And she had cupped his face and told him that she was scared witless, too, but that they both loved each other and that was the only thing that had mattered. Then they had kissed and walked somberly back to the school, where they were all mourning Dumbledore's death.

9) She never thought she could love anybody as much as she loved Remus. Then she found out she was pregnant.

At first, it was fear. Fear for bringing a child into the world at a time like this, fear for being pregnant for the first time, fear that maybe, just maybe, Remus's condition would be passed on. Nothing but fear for a while, but then, once the fear passed, jubilation.

She had always wanted a large family, a happy family, a large house with a loving husband. She knew that dream wouldn't be able to occur until after the war, but it was a dream she held close to her. And when Teddy was born, it was a dream she thought might be able to come true.

She loved everything about him, from his toes to his head; from his constantly changing hair to his drool to the way he seemed to already know her. She loved Teddy more then anything, loved him enough that she would do anything for him. Loved him enough to stay behind when Remus left. Loved him enough that she stifled her tears, that she worked hard to keep her heart in tact so that she could give it to Teddy, so that she could take of him like a proper mother should.

Loved him enough that when Remus appeared at the door, she stepped aside and let him in, because they were family (she told herself it was for Teddy, but the truth was she hadn't slept properly since Remus had left, hadn't been able to concentrate on anything but how much she missed him, how much she needed him, and when he held her that night and peppered her face with kisses and apologized over and over again, she knew she would have let him back in the house even if it was just her- she loved him).

10) She had had feelings of foreboding before. When she had seen the Malfoy's for the first time; the last time she had spoken to Sirius. The last time she had spoken to her father, before he died. She knew the feeling, could recognize the fist in her gut, the bile in her throat, the uncontrollable urge to turn around and _run_.

But none of those could be worse then the feeling she had as she hugged Teddy close to her chest, as she whispered in his ear how much she loved him, as she cried into his hair, a bright blue, as she handed him over to her mother and stepped out the door into the night. The feeling of foreboding was more then just a feeling- she would never see her son again. Would never hold him again, would never tell him how much she loved him. She wanted to turn around and run back in the house and grip him tight to her. But she didn't.

She battled furiously. She battled for her son, for her husband, for Sirius, for her father and her mother, for Harry and Dumbledore and Mad-Eye, she battled to _survive_. Because that was all she wanted- she wanted to survive. She wanted to go home and hold her son. She wanted that dream, with the big house and the happy family.

But then she saw Remus, and she turned her head and went to go to him, to hug him, to assure herself that he was real, he was alive, but then suddenly a flash of green and he slumped to the floor and _no no no, he wasn't dead, he wasn't!_

She rushed over to him, sobbing, sobbing so loudly she didn't hear Bellatrix Lestrange until it was too late.


	26. Albus Severus Potter

**I'm gonna say James Sirius Potter next.**

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**Albus Severus Potter**

1. Merlin's Beard, how he hated his name! He understood that his father wanted to respect those who passed on, and he understands that Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape were two of the most important people in his father's life, but couldn't he have just gotten a picture of them and hung it on the wall, or something? Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's kids had normal names, why couldn't _he?_

And then he met who would quickly become one of his best friends. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Now _that _was a mouthful. After hearing Scorpius' full name, Albus didn't honestly feel any better about his. But at least now he had somebody to suffer with. Misery loves its company, after all.

2. He thought long and hard about his father's words. Then he thought about the houses, and the qualities each one possessed. And then he thought about his family, and what they would say. And then it was his turn to get sorted.

What? No! He wasn't ready! Could they maybe get back to him?

But, no, it was his turn, and as he sat down, right before the hat was put on his head, he saw the whole school watching him, waiting to see where the Potter would go, and then the hat was dropped on his head and there was blackness.

He can't remember what the hat said- he was frozen in fear. It wasn't until the hat said, _what do you think about Slytherin? _That Albus actually began to think in coherent sentences.

_Why are you asking me? _He asked. He swore he could feel the hat shrug.

_You're a Potter. I figured you would object._

_Well, do you normally ask?_

_No. But you're a Potter. You're normally very testy folk._

_Why does it matter if I'm a Potter? I'm so sick of being treated differently because I'm a Potter!_

He swore he could feel the hat bristle. _Fine. If you so wish, _"SLYTHERIN!"

3. The only thing Albus could think at that time was, _what have I done? _Then, he cursed his temper, courtesy of his mother. Then, he had to get off the stool and make his way to the Slytherin table, trying not to cry. There were a few awkward claps on his back, but for the most part, people were silent. This wasn't how Hogwarts was supposed to be. He was supposed to be sitting at Gryffindor, not at Syltherin! Everyone was _still _staring at him!

And then James- James, who had mocked him mercilessly, who had teased him about this exact same situation, _James- _stood up and shouted, "Good job Albus!" Across the hall. And then, it was as if nothing else mattered. Because who cared if the rest of the school thought badly of him? He didn't know them- he didn't care about their opinions. But James still accepted him- he even stood up and showed it in front of the whole school.

Albus sat back down, grinning.

4. He doesn't know what compelled him to approach Scorpius Malfoy. Maybe it was because the sad look on Scorpius' face in the common room that night matched how Albus felt perfectly. Whatever it was, Albus plopped down next to him that first night and introduced himself, extending his hand.

Scorpius took it immediately.

5. He never really considered that Rose or Scorpius would object to the other. It made sense to introduce them- Rose was his best friend, and Scorpius was quickly catching up to her. It wasn't until he saw the look on Rosie's face when he introduced Scorpius that he realized that maybe they would object to each other.

Rose must have just been surprised, though, because right after she extended her hand and smiled widely at Scorpius and he took it, smiling back (though granted, not quite as largely) and Albus could breathe.

6. He knew, possibly before even they did, that Rose and Scorpius fancied each other. So when Scorpius told him about him and Rose, Albus just nodded and said, "Well it's about time." Because maybe now they wouldn't be trying (and failing) to avoid looking at the other, and maybe now Rose would be able to talk properly around Scorp without blushing and they could get on with their lives.

It wasn't until Scorpius told him that he was meeting Uncle Ron that Albus realized they were serious. Because as much as Albus loved Uncle Ron, you had to be serious about Rose if you planned on meeting Uncle Ron.

7. His first girlfriend was a Hufflepuff who giggled a lot and, it turned out, was only dating him to try and seduce James. His next was a Slytherin girl who he had to break up with when he found out she enjoyed killing small animals. The next was a Gryffindor girl who he thought was pretty perfect, until she broke up with him because her ex boyfriend wanted to get back together with her.

He's never been a _ladies man._ The truth is, he doesn't want to be. He would look at James, at the always growing list of girls he's dated or snogged, and then he looks at Rose and Scorpius, and he knows that he'd rather wait a few years and get the love they have then date three girls at once and be constantly worried that somebody would hex him when his back was turned out of spite.

8. Someone once asked him which were more important, friends or family. He couldn't really answer, because his friends _are _his family. There's Rose, his best friend, and his cousin. And even if Scorpius isn't technically family, at the rate he and Rose were going he very well might be. He and James, despite being annoying, were close, and he's not one of those people who would ever ignore his sister when she was walking down the halls- he always says hi to Lily, even walks with her sometimes. Hugo and him, despite the age difference, play Quidditch together a lot, and he always comes to Albus for advice or when he needs help with homework. Albus' friends are his family- his family are his friends.

9. Almost all of his cousin's have a favourite Uncle- George is the most common. And while Albus loves all of his uncle's, when it comes to looking up to someone, he looks to his father.

Not just because of the whole Voldemort thing, although that played a big roll. But because Harry was the one who convinced Albus that there was nothing wrong with being in Slytherin. Because Harry was the one who secretly tutored him in Defence Against the Dark Arts when Albus told him he wasn't very good (how embarrassing it was, being Harry Potter's son and not being good at Defence Against the Dark Arts!). It was Harry who taught him how to ride a broom. But it's more then that. It's because with all that Harry went through, he could be totally different then how he is. He could be stuck up, arrogant, conceited, or he could be rude and obnoxious, or even sullen and depressed. But he's not. He loves, deeply, loves Albus' mom and James and Lily and Albus and all of his cousins, loves his family and his friends, and for the love that his dad shows so easily, even through all of the hate that he's faced, Harry will always be Albus' favourite.

10) He's not the Quidditch star, not the genius, not the one who gets all the girls, he's not loved by everybody and he's definitely not perfect. For a long time, he thought that he didn't have a label- and, no matter what anybody says about labels, something about them makes you feel safer. It's not necessarily a bad thing.

It wasn't until his whole family was together one year for Christmas and he was looking around that he realized something- he _did _have a label. He wasn't Perfect, or a Genius, or The One with All the Girls, or the Quidditch Star. He's a _Potter_, and not only that, but he's a _Weasley, _too. And he doesn't want to be anything else.


	27. James Sirius Potter

**James-y! I fell in love with this boy while writing this. The only thing I don't like is number ten, because writing it was like pulling teeth- that's why it sucks and is random and awkward xD Sorry about that!**

**Next is Hugo, and then I dunno. Suggestions are more then welcome :)**

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* * *

James Sirius Potter**

1) Albus hates his name (and James doesn't blame him) and the first time Lily ever saw her name on the memorial- _Lily Potter- _she turned pale white and refused to ever look at it again. Fred hates his name because it always makes people sad, and Rose hates being named after a flower.

But James loves his name. Even when he did see it on the memorial, he loved it. Not only because it sounded cool- although that certainly helped. But also because he had heard stories of James Potter and Sirius Black. And they were _cool. _And even if they hadn't been as powerful as Albus Dumbledore or as loyal (was that a good adjective for Severus Snape? He never really knew what to think of the man) as Severus Snape, they were important to his father.

Plus- well, at least they had _normal _names.

2) It was a tradition in most wizarding families not to tell their children about the sorting. It was no different in his. He had a _large _family- he was sure he could have gotten at least _somebody _to tell him! But no, everyone he approached either told him they couldn't tell him or told him something completely different from everyone else, which is how he knew they were lying.

Unless... unless they had planned it that way?! What if one of them had told him the truth, and the others just told him lies to throw him off the path? Which one was the truth? Was it Uncle Bill's troll story? Or what about Grandmum's story about the riddles? Or Uncle George's story about a scavenger hunt, and if you didn't find all the items, you would be kicked out of Hogwarts?

Regardless of how scared he actually was, he hid it behind boasts of confidence and declarations of how _of course _he was going to be in Gryffindor- where else would he be? But inside, he was terrified. Because what if he wasn't in Gryffindor?

He didn't have to worry, though, in the end. Because it wasn't a troll or a riddle or a scavenger hunt. It was a _hat_. And as soon as it was put on his head it said, _oh, you're an easy one, _before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

3) Despite everything he did, he was genuinely worried about Albus. And even if he constantly made fun of him and taunted him about Slytherin, well, he didn't think anything would actually happen! He figured Albus would be in Gryffindor!

But he _wasn't! _And James felt really bad about all the times he had mocked Albus, because he knew that Albus would be going over every comment in his head right now and dwelling and obsessing over it and he would be so upset and even if he was annoying sometimes, and no matter how much James liked to mock him, Albus was his _brother. _

So he stood up and said, "Good job Albus!" Because he was proud of his brother (even though he would deny that fact multiple times), no matter what house he was in.

4) He listens to his friends complain about their families all the time. He listens as they talk about how annoying their parents are, how they hate their siblings, how their aunts and uncles never know how old they are and sends them bad presents. He listens to them complain, but when it comes to his turn he just shrugs.

The truth is, he pities them. Because he loves his family, despite everything. And yes, at times his parents are annoying, but his father is _Harry Potter _and his mother used to play on the _Harpies! _Not to mention that his Uncle Ron is really funny, and his Aunt Hermione is always able to help him with his homework. Plus, his Uncle George works in a joke shop and his Aunt Angelina is super cool. He loved all of his aunts and uncles, even Uncle Percy and Aunt Fleur. And his cousins! Fred is his best friend- and he gets along well with Roxanne too. Rose always tries to mother him, and Hugo looks up to him. Albus, despite how much James made fun of him, is a great brother, and _somebody _had to protect Lily from all the guys who looked at her wrongly! And Teddy! James had idolized Teddy for a long time.

He can't even name all of his cousins and how much he loves them, or how cool his aunts and uncles are. Sure, there are times he wishes that maybe his family wasn't so _loud _or so _large- _but everybody had those days, and they were few and far between. He loved his family, and whenever one of his friends talked about how much they hated their families, James just smirked and laughed to himself about what they were missing.

5) He stole the Marauder's map out of pure jealousy. He knew, of course, that it would come in handy- if it had of been something completely useless, he doubts he would have put so much effort into actually stealing it. He would have just moped. But as it was, it was totally useful, and James knows he had every right to it, just as much as Teddy had. Sure, Teddy's dad had helped make it, but James's grandfather had helped make it, too! And James was _named _after him! It wasn't fair that Teddy would get to have it through his Hogwarts years and James wouldn't. It was the only time James was angry at Teddy, even though he knew it wasn't his fault.

So he stole it. He tried, really tried, his first year, to get around Hogwarts without it. But there was _so much _of Hogwarts, and it seemed as if everyday he encountered a place he had never seen before in his life. So, the summer before he went into his second year, he stole it out of his father's desk. He knew how to work it- he had heard his dad and Teddy talking about it.

He's sure his father knows it's missing. But he hasn't told James to give it back, hasn't grounded him for theft, or anything. Sometimes, James thinks that maybe his father had intended on James taking it all along.

At the end of his Hogwarts years, he offered it to Albus. He said no, since he only had one year left and was going to be working too hard to use it to its full potential. After, they decided to give it to Lily, because Lily was just as troublesome as James.

The difference was she didn't get caught.

6) He loved Quidditch as much as the majority of his family loved Quidditch, and he loved being a Seeker. He loved being on a broom- it seemed more natural then being on the ground. His father taught him how to fly, and practiced with him to become a Seeker, so of course he was good. Harry Potter was the youngest student to play on the House Quidditch Team! (James had begged them to allow him to play in his first year, but they wouldn't budge, not even for Harry Potter's son.) He had been taught by his father, so of course, he would be nearly as good as him (it never bothered James that his father was still better- very few people took to flying like Harry Potter did). Not only that, but his mother had played for the Harpies. He had Quidditch in his genes.

Harry taught Lily, too, but James had always been better, something he knew seriously bugged her. Lily practiced more then anyone else did, but James still always outshone her.

That one game? He had seen the snitch, a while back, actually. It hadn't taken Lily long afterwards to see it and dive for it. James had followed her, making sure to stay just behind her. But she got there first, and as her hand closed around it, she beamed like mad and the Hufflepuff fans cheered. He had smiled just as largely, and when she saw that, he knew that she knew what he had done. But it didn't matter, because she was scooped off her feet and praised for days after that, because that win had brought Hufflepuff out of last place, and now they were just behind Slytherin for second. It didn't matter if he had taken a lot of shit for it (even if Gryffindor _did _end up winning that year), because the look on Lily's face when she captured the snitch was priceless.

7) To be honest, he doesn't have a favourite aunt or uncle. He knows Lily's is Charlie, and how, even if Rose pretends she doesn't play favourites, she has a soft spot for both Percy and Bill. Hugo loves George, while Fred and Roxy dote on Ron. Victoire loves Hermione, and Teddy loves Harry. But James, while loving all of his aunts and uncles, looks up to his mother the most.

He's heard the stories, from his father and Uncle Ron, because she won't talk about them. He knows what happened in her first year of Hogwarts, and he can't even imagine how she could have lived through that. He can't imagine being possessed at all, let alone at such a young age! But she had beaten it, had gotten rid of Tom Riddle, had survived. But she hadn't just survived- she had _lived. _She hadn't let it get her down. But she's faced even more then that, faced death and evil and she fought hard in the final war.

His mother is the strongest, bravest witch he knows. Albus looks up to Harry, but James was always, and always will be, a mummies boy (even if he'd rather eat nothing but rock cakes for the rest of his life then admit it).

8) Both Albus and Rose constantly scold him for his dating techniques, but he's not planning on changing them. He knows it's not nice, but he's never been _mean _to the girls he dated (not counting that one time he dated three girls at one time- but that had been a mistake, and he would never do it again). He's always nice and gentlemanly to them, and he buys them gifts and treats them well. It's just- if he finds out they're not the one, why would he bother dating them anymore? He's not in it just for the girls- he's in it because he sees his parents and his aunts and uncles, sees the way they look at each other, and he wants that, too.

To James, the four necessary items in a partner were: they had to be attractive (attractiveness leads to baby making, is what he told Rose, who blushed beet red because Scorpius was standing next to her), they had to have a good personality, they had to be smart, and they had to be into him as much as he was into them. He didn't think he was aiming too high- was it so much to ask for someone with these qualities? They didn't have to be a supermodel, they didn't have to have the brains of his Aunt Hermione- he just wanted someone he could spend his life with. In his mind, dumping a girl when he realized they weren't The One was actually doing them a favour- because if he kept dating them, he was preventing them from finding their true loves.

Rose could lecture him as much as she wanted. Not everyone was so lucky as to find true love with the first person they came across.

9) He idolized Teddy more then anyone else. Teddy was funny and cool and he was a metamorphmagus, after all. And one time, when he was seven and fighting with his parents, he was sitting with Teddy in the backyard and complaining about them and James told Teddy that he wished he could be him.

Teddy was quiet for a long time, before finally turning to James and telling him something James would never forget.

"Don't ever think that, okay? Because I envy you, James. I envy you for your family and your brother and sister and your parents, and I envy you because you're going to grow up knowing small things like your father's favourite colour, or the sound of your mother's laugh, and big things, too, like being able to hug them and talk to them and be reassured that they love you. You're the luckiest boy in the world, James Potter, and don't you ever forget it."

James never wished he was somebody else ever again.

10) He adores muggle contraptions. He doesn't know what is about them, but he's so enthralled by having to get by in life without magic. Because of this, he spends an awful amount of time with his Granddad Weasley and his Aunt Audrey. He even has a few bewitched muggle objects that he takes to Hogwarts with him- a radio, a little box thing that holds music, and a camera. At family gatherings, if he's not off with his cousins playing pranks, he's usually with his Granddad, tinkering with something or other, or with his Aunt Audrey or Aunt Hermione, talking about muggles and learning about them. He learned a lot of things about them (for instance, they _do _sleep, despite what Anthony Jordan said).

Still, he wouldn't change who he was for the world.

* * *

**EDIT: I fully realized that at the end of this chapter, I made the kid's name Michael Jordan- I fully didn't intend to do that xD I was just using Lee's last name, and Michael came to mind. I changed it though xD Now he's Anthony Jordan.**


	28. Hugo Weasley

**Next, I'm thinking... Fred Weasley II?**

**

* * *

Hugo Weasley**

1) His first word was 'Quidditch,' which was definitely a sign that he would grow up loving the game. And he did. Despite his mother's wishes that he would grow up and be a genius like her or Rose, he breathed Quidditch. He loved the feeling he got when he was in the air- the first few moments when his heart was in his mouth, until his instincts kicked in and he just flew. He wasn't the best on his team, nor was he the best in his family- James, Teddy, even Lily is better then he his. But that doesn't matter to him, because he plays because he loves it. He's certain he's the only one in the family who doesn't care so much about victory- in his mind, just playing is enough.

2) His mum and dad fought a lot. _A lot._ And it really bothered him, because he thought that the fighting meant that his parents didn't love each other. One time, he mentioned this to his Uncle Harry, because he was worried that his parents were going to split up and he and Rose would have to live with one of them, and not see the other one as much. And he didn't want that! He wanted his parents to love each other!

Uncle Harry, when Hugo told him, smiled kindly and told him that Hugo's parents had _always _fought. Even when they were eleven and had first met. Harry said that even though they fought a lot, Ron and Hermione loved each other, and he had never met anyone who loved each other more (Aunt Ginny had glared at him then, and he had winked at Hugo and quickly said, 'Other then your Aunt Ginny and I').

3) Teddy looked up to Harry. James looked up to Teddy. Hugo looked up to James.

He's not even sure if he would like it, but sometimes he wonders why he has nobody to look up to _him. _

4) He wasn't super smart, not like his mum or Rose. And he always felt like his parents liked Rosie more then him, because she was smart and responsible and going somewhere with her life. He always felt like a loser next to his sister, and for a long time he almost resented her for making their parents like her better then they liked Hugo.

When he fell off his broom, he didn't think they would come. He figured they would just send a letter to see if he was okay.

But when he woke up in the hospital wing, his mother immediately hugged him so tightly his dad had to pull her away because he couldn't breathe. Then, when his dad got them separated, _he _hugged him so tightly that Rose had to drag him off. Then _Rose _hugged him, and told him never to do that to them again.

He couldn't help but smile.

5) Being separated from Lily was hard. He should have been happy he was in Gryffindor- he had always wanted to be in Gryffindor! And sure, he _was _happy- but he and Lily were always supposed to be in the same house! She couldn't be in Hufflepuff, she had to be in Gryffindor with him! They were supposed to be best friends!

They still were, though. Because he was the first one she told when she liked Jacob Longbottom, and the first one she told when she kissed Gabe Allen, and most importantly, she came to him when she kissed Lysander Scamander, and he was the first one who found out that she thought she loved him.

Lily is his best friend, regardless of the house.

6) He's never exactly had a lot of luck with girls. He's not quite sure what it is about him- he just doesn't have animal magnetism, like his dad claims he has (his mum burst out laughing when his dad said that). He only dated two girls in his Hogwarts years, another Gryffindor in his year and a Ravenclaw a year below him. They ended because it just didn't work out- they clearly weren't supposed to be together anymore, and with both relationships, they went their separate ways and kept up, if not friendship, fairly good acquaintances over the next few years.

It wasn't until after Hogwarts, when he was working at the WWW until he 'figured out what to do with himself' (his mother's words- he was happy where he was), that he finally found someone he really liked. Her name was Allie Wilson, and she was a witch who came into the store everyday and purchased something- small things, but she still came everyday. They made a little bit of conversation until finally one day she came to the store and told him that she had a box full of WWW stuff that she was never going to use because she had come in the store just to see him everyday.

He kissed her three dates later, and he knows she's the one.

7) His favourite uncle is George, and not just because he's the joker and he's funny and all of that. He's his favourite because he understands that all Hugo wants to do is work in the shop. He doesn't want to do anything else, doesn't want to become an Auror or a Healer or a teacher or anything- he just wants to work in the shop, and Uncle George understands that because that's all he wants to do, too.

8) For a while, he had thought he was more like his dad then his mum, because he was taller then most and he loved the Canons, and he had Weasley red hair, and his boggart was a spider, just like his dad. And it wasn't like he didn't love his dad, because he did, and he loved being just like him.

But he loved his mum, too, and sometimes he wished he could be more like her. Because his mum was beautiful and smart and a powerful witch but she was fun, too, and he admired her, and he was always upset when he thought about how much like Hermione Rose was like, because as much as he loved Ron, he loved his mum, too.

It wasn't until one day, when he said something about House-Elf's to his dad, that Ron rolled his eyes and said, 'You're just like your mother."

Hugo beamed.

9) When Rosie told him she was dating Scorpius Malfoy, his first instinct was to jinx the boy into next week. Then, he realized that, as Scorpius was two years older then him, that wasn't likely. So, his second instinct was to get _James _to jinx Scorpius into next week, because James was a year older then Scorpius and quite good at hexes. Because that was his _sister! _His sweet, kind, brilliant sister, who always made sure Hugo ate breakfast and who always made sure he studied for his exams, always made sure he paid as much attention to his homework as he did Quidditch. It was his big sister, and _no way _could she be dating a Malfoy!

But, after she told him, she saw the anger in his eyes and told him that she was serious about him, and to _please _not do anything rash because she really really liked him and it was important to her that he like who she was dating. He had, grudgingly, agreed not to hex him (or get James to do it for him).

He did, however, approach him and tell him not to hurt his sister, or he _would _hex him. He had expected Scorpius to laugh- he had simply nodded and told Hugo he would never hurt Rosie.

After spending time with him, Hugo realized Scorpius Malfoy wasn't actually that bad of a guy.

10) He always felt like the baby in the family. Even Lily was older then him, and even if it was only by a couple of months, he still always felt like everyone constantly babied him. He hated being the baby! He always figured everyone expected him to be the baby forever, and to never grow up. So he didn't. He played pranks and acted immature, because he figured that's what everyone expected.

Then Rosie sat him down and told him to stop acting like a six year old and to grow up, because his act wasn't amusing anyone. He had looked at her and told her he figured everyone always expected him to be the baby forever.

She had laughed and said nobody can be a baby forever, and that the only expectations he had to live up to were his own.

It was the best advice he had ever gotten, even if it was from his sister.


	29. Fred Weasley II

**Sorry this took so long, I've been super busy.****

* * *

Fred Weasley II  
**

1) Everybody he knew complained about their name, and he really didn't think any of them had any right to (except maybe Albus). But still- nobody had it like him. Because Grandmum Weasley never got tears in her eyes when she said anybody else's name. And there was never a problem saying somebody else's name. Whenever anyone said James' or Lily's names, they never thought of James Potter and Lily Evans- they thought of James and Lily, his cousins. But whenever anybody said _his _name, they thought of Fred Weasley, his father's dead twin.

2) Lots of people think he's only a prankster because of his name. The think he's just trying to live up to it. And maybe that's part of it. But he _loves _to prank. He and James, his partner in crime, love to trick people. But Fred always draws the line, because James won't.

He draws the line because the point of pranks is to make people laugh, to smile. And maybe, at the time of the prank, the victim won't be too happy about it, but later on, it has to be something they'll look back on and laugh at. Pranks are for laughing, for enjoying yourself. He doesn't want to become vindictive.

(Maybe that's the difference between him and his dad and twin- Fred would never have given anything to first years if it could have hurt them.)

3) He wasn't the smartest in the family, not by a long shot. He didn't completely flunk out of his classes or anything, but he didn't come home with all 'O's on his O.W.L.'s. He didn't think he had to be super smart, anyway- he was just going to run a WWW store. Everyone knew it.

Still, what bothered him the most was that nobody _expected _him to be really smart. Nobody came right out and said this, obviously, but he can tell. Everybody just expects him to work with his dad, and sometimes he wonders if maybe this is because that's what his dad's twin would have done.

All he wants is to be his own person, for people to think of _him, _and not his uncle.

4) His family is huge- it's normal to play favourites. And if Fred had to choose a favourite uncle, he would choose Ron, for a lot of reason. Ron's the youngest (he knows Ginny's technically the youngest, but she's The Girl, so it doesn't count), and he's always been known as Harry Potter's Best Friend. But he's funny, and he's smart (when he wants to be) and he's brave and even though he's living under the shadow of Uncle Harry, he still manages to be himself, something Fred envies.

5) His boggart is of his family. They won't look him in the eye, because he reminds them too much of Uncle Fred. They've turned their backs on him because they can't take seeing him. Because they'll never love him as much as they had loved the first Fred.

(He knows deep down that his fears are ridiculous, and Roxy has told him such, multiple times. He knows his family loves him, and he knows they don't expect him to replace Fred I. But sometimes it's easy to believe that.)

6) He loved Quidditch! It was the time when he felt like himself, truly himself. He was Keeper- something that had surprised them all. His dad had wanted him to be Beater- his mum had wanted him to be Chaser. But he was Keeper, and he loved it, and he was _good _at it, too. Him, James, and Hugo practically ran the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and they won the cup five times when Fred was at Hogwarts.

His mum and dad were happy about him making Keeper regardless of their original desires, but he was slightly confused when his dad told him that if he became as controlling as Oliver Wood, he would have to take his broom away. His mum laughed, but Fred didn't really understand.

7) His dad had always tried hard to make sure Fred and Roxy were close, but he could have saved himself the effort, because Fred and his sister couldn't be closer if you glued them together. James is his partner, and his favourite cousin, but (and he doesn't care how dorky this makes him) his sister is his best friend. He could tell Roxy everything, and he did, and she told him everything as well. James was great, but when he really needed help, or good advice, Roxy was there. He really doesn't think he could be blessed with a better sister.

8) Christmas is his favourite time of year, because that's the time when they're all together and all happy. Sure, on any given day there's guaranteed to be at least five Weasley's at the Burrow, but at Christmas, that's the day they're all there and they're all happy, ready to exchange gifts and laugh over memories and prank Uncle Percy. But it's more then that. Because Christmas was the time when all of his cousins (and Teddy) would sit down, away from the party, and just talk. They would talk about their lives and their hopes and what was happening and _everything. _That was his favourite time because even with all the crap going on in their lives, they always made time for their family. Because in the end, family was what mattered.

9) One time at school, a kid asked him why his mother had married his father, when she had dated Fred Weasley I first. He had said that the only reason Angelina had married George was because he looked like his twin and she could pretend.

Fred had hexed him and sent him to the Hospital Wing, but he couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. So one day, he finally asked his mum about it. She had looked at him for a long time and then told him the story of what had happened when she had gone to the Yule Ball with Uncle Fred. She had said that she had loved him very much, but only as a friend, and that she could never love anybody as much as she loved Fred's father.

He never questioned his parent's love again.

10) Despite everything, he still wishes he could meet the first Fred Weasley. He sounds like a great person, and if he was anything like his father, Fred knows he would like him.

But he can't stop thinking about the muggle saying, that if you kill a butterfly in the past, it could cause drastic effects in the future. So even though he wishes that Fred Weasley hadn't died- so his dad would have his best friend back, so his grandmum Weasley could say his name without crying- he wonders what would happen to _him_. Because if Fred Weasley I hadn't died, would Fred himself even be here?

And if Fred _was _still here, who would he be?

* * *

**This boy has some serious identity problems. **


	30. Dudley Dursley

**Dudley Dursley **

1) He grew up thinking that he was so much luckier than Harry. He had a bedroom (even had two, for a little while), had whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, he could eat whenever and whatever, he had friends, and people respected him (Dudley never did understand the difference between _respect _and _fear). _He had two parents, and they were alive- not only that, but they idolized him. Not to mention he wasn't an underweight, bespectacled freak. Yes, for a long time, he had truly thought, really believed, that his life was so much better then Harry's.

2) The changed once he fully understood just what was happening. That man- no one would even say his name, and they were wizards! They could do magic! If they were so deathly afraid of him, then where did that leave Dudley? That's when his opinion on magic began to change- because this was an enemy he couldn't beat down with his fists. He was completely helpless- and that scared him.

3) Harry would have had friends if it weren't for Dudley. His life might have been a lot different. He would have had friends- maybe even been popular. People had tried to befriend Harry before- Dudley could remember beating up a boy named Brandon for talking to Harry after Dudley had specifically forbidden it. Despite all that, he never really knew why he didn't want people to be friends with him.

(He never would admit that he was scared people would like Harry more then they liked Dudley.)

Sometimes he wonders if things would be different if Harry had had friends. He knows that his parents tried to squish the magic out of him, but sometimes Dudley wonders if maybe, had they just let Harry be, given him things and let him have friends, all the normal things, maybe Harry wouldn't have needed magic. Maybe things would be different.

4) For a second- a split second, not worth thinking about or mentioning to anyone- after he head about Harry's magic, he wondered, _why not me? _If Harry's mom was a witch, wouldn't that mean Dudley had some magic, too? And what child doesn't sometimes wish they had special powers?

But that idea quickly fell away. He was _normal, _which was more then Harry could say.

5) Harry came back... different. With each summer, Dudley saw a significant change. He had friends, family, knew magic- he was even more confidant. The way he carried himself was different.

Dudley had everything he wanted- friends, toys, a school were people respected him- but he never felt the way Harry seemed to feel after one year at that weird school.

Dudley wondered what he was missing.

Dudley wondered why he cared.

6) Over the years, he's inquired about different people's worst moments. Some are serious- deaths, sicknesses, tragic accidents. When people ask him his, he says its the day he fell down the stairs and broke three bones, with a concussion to boot.

That's a lie.

During the day, he blocks it out, but during the night it revisits him. It was the most horrible thing he's ever experienced. Harry said they were called _dementors. _Dudley doesn't care what they're called, as long as he never has to face them again. He can't even relive what he went through- he hadn't even thought his life had had so many bad memories that could be thrown back in his face.

7) Harry had won- he had won the war. He had defeated that wizard who everyone was afraid of. Who would have guessed it?

He supposed he should have been happy, because now he wouldn't have to be in hiding any more. But Harry was never supposed to amount to _anything! _Dudley was supposed to be the star- Harry was supposed to clean his dressing room. Harry wasn't supposed to ever be a hero, he was supposed to be Dudley's geeky orphan cousin.

Dudley was _jealous. _He had never been jealous of anyone in his life- he always got what he wanted. But now Harry had something all the money in the world couldn't buy Dudley- real, true happiness, achieved by achieving.

8) Harry had sent him a letter (by owl, no less) explaining that he was getting married. It wasn't an invitation- it was a statement. He also sent him three other owls, telling Dudley that he had had three children- James, Albus, and Lily. Again, there was no invitation to a baby shower or an invite to come see them, just a statement.

Dudley invited Harry to his wedding. Invited him to the baby shower for his children. Harry didn't come to any of them. Granted, he had sent explanations explaining why he couldn't, and who knows, maybe they were true. But Dudley was still upset. Because everyone was supposed to always want his attention, his approval. From the time he could talk, everyone had tripped over their feet to please him.

But Harry was always different, wasn't he? And besides, it wasn't like Harry had any reason to come back to the Dursley's.

9) It wasn't easy for him to find a wife. He had to start with a girlfriend, first, and he soon realized that being an overweight, spoiled bully wasn't going to get him anywhere with girls. So he dieted, and he lost some weight, and he stopped being (as) mean and he even got a job (which he quit two weeks later, because why did he need a job, anyway, when he was just going to work with his dad?). But it didn't work. He was still single.

So he worked hard, meeting people at bars, blind dates, everything. That didn't work, and he eventually stopped looking.

He guesses it's true, what people say, about how when you stop looking, you'll find it, because he met Ashley at the grocery store when he was trying to decide between cereal's and she had said that while Special K was healthy and all that jazz, she was a big fan of the Cocoa Puffs.

They've been together ever since.

10) He understands that a lot- okay, most- of what happened in his life was due to Harry. Harry caused it- a lot of Dudley's life is in terms of what Harry was doing. Harry caused an impact, and often times Dudley will wonder what his life would have been like if Harry hadn't been in it. There is no doubt in his mind that Harry helped shape Dudley into who he is today. Even before he knew about the magic and going into hiding, all his time was spent making Harry's life miserable, instead of doing something productive.

But Dudley knows that it's _his _life. And often, whenever he was feeling unaccomplished and unappreciated, whenever he believed that without Harry he wouldn't matter to anyone, he thinks about all the things that make him _him. _He thinks of his job and his friends and iced tea and all the little things that make him happy, and he thinks of Ashley and his children and he knows that they are his, and he is theirs.

For a long time he thought that he was better than Harry, and then he thought that Harry was better than him. It took a long time to realize that neither of them was better than the other. Maybe nobody really had any right to say they were better than someone else. He and Harry might not have been equal, but they sure as hell were equivalent.

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**We have some random philosophical!Dudley at the end there, lol. **


	31. Percy Weasley

**Crap, I'm sorry guys. Again, for those of you who don't know, I think of Audrey as a muggle because of Jess.91's Ten Little Things. So yeah.

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**Percy Weasley**

1) He wishes he could say he was left out of his family, that they treated him wrongly. That they excluded him from things. But that isn't true. They all treated him like a brother, like part of the family. Fred and George pranked him, Bill and Charlie ragged on him, Ginny teased him, Ron yelled at him. He wasn't a pariah in his family.

So what was his excuse? Why did he exclude himself from his family? Why did he stay holed up in his room when he could have been spending time with his family? He used to think it was because he was smart.

Now he's not so sure.

2) In a family so large, there's going to be favourites. Ginny and Ron were babied by the twins (mind you, Fred and George babied by teasing). Billy and Charlie are really close. Fred and George are best friends, obviously. Ron and Ginny bonded over being the youngest.

Even now, with the children. Uncle George is a common favourite. Ginny, too. People favour Ron, Bill, Charlie, they all have people who favour them most, above all.

Nobody favours him. He's nobody's favourite. Again he wishes he could say it was other people's fault, that he was just misunderstood.

But again, he knows it's nobody's fault but his.

3) He always thought Hogwarts would be different. That he would find people like him, friends he could connect with. And he did.

But he saw Fred and George with their friends, saw Ron with Harry and Hermione and all the fun they had, and he often wonders whether he was missing something.

4) He knows he was wrong. Of course he was wrong. They were all wrong. Okay. Percy had stuck by his beliefs. He hadn't thought You-Know-Who was back. He had been proven wrong. He could go back to his family, pleading ignorance and forgiveness, because he had been proved wrong. The end.

Except it wasn't.

He had left in the first place because he was certain he was right. He had been drunk on power he didn't even have yet. He was obnoxious, and he was wrong.

But he didn't go back. No yet. He had been so insanely cruel to his family, to his mother and father, who had given him everything even if they had almost nothing. How could he just go back? They would hate him.

He left out of obnoxiousness. He stayed out of shame and fear of rejection.

But one thing he learned about family- they might be angry. They might be upset.

But they'll welcome you back.

5) He knew where Ron was. He likes to think that the Ministry, who he had believed in and stood up for and defended, knew it, too. Because how coincidental was it, that Ron came down with spattergroit when Harry disappeared off the face of the earth? He likes to pretend that they (and by they, he meant the good guys who were still in the Ministry) knew it and were rooting for their victory.

Regardless as to whether they believed it or not, Percy knew. He was smart, yes, but he also knew his brother. He would be with Harry, and Hermione. And even if he wasn't talking to his family, and even if he pretended he didn't need them, he spent countless nights staring at his ceiling, wish he could be there to protect his little brother like he should have been.

6) He met Audrey when he was looking for a muggle present for his father. He was smart, yes, but he was still a wizard. He didn't know what he was supposed to buy, just that he knew his father would love a muggle gift.

Audrey saw his struggled and came up to help him. She showed him this muggle contraption that looked small and compact at first, but an abundance of things burst out it- scissors, a leveller, and other muggle tools he couldn't remember the names of.

It wasn't until afterwards, when he stood outside holding the bag for 10 minutes, that he realized maybe he should have asked her out.

7) He put off telling Audrey because he was afraid she would leave him. He was afraid that she would think he was some devil reincarnate and leave. And he couldn't handle it if she left.

But when things started to get serious, he had to tell her. He loved the woman, and he couldn't stand lying to her anymore. So he told her. And she flipped. She kicked him out and blocked the door and he just walked a little ways to a building and leaned against it for support because he should have known, really. Percy Weasley didn't deserve to have anything as good as what he had with Audrey.

But suddenly, a tap on his shoulder brought his head up and she was there. She was there. Standing right in front of him, and she bent her head close to his and told him that she wasn't mad that he was a wizard. She was just mad that he hadn't told her until then.

He asked her to marry him a week after.

8) Fred's death killed him (pun not intended). When he saw his brother's still face, the ghost of a grin still on his lips, he fell to his knees and sobbed. He didn't care about what others thought of him, didn't care how the rest of his family felt. He knew they must have all felt just like he did, but to him, at that moment, it felt as if Fred's death only affected him. As if he had done this to him. He clutched his brother's clothes and he sobbed until Fred's shirt was wet until finally there were no tears left to fall and he just dry sobbed until Bill pulled him off.

(He can't help but think that that was his penance, that someone was punishing him for leaving in the cruellest way imaginable. And he knows that if somehow, had he never returned, Fred would still be alive, Percy would have never come back.

But it's all too late now.)

9) When Molly and Lucy found out about what he had done, they both freaked out. Both of them had the Weasley temper- Lucy screamed at him and Molly got so angry that cutlery started flying at him. It wasn't until he was hit by one (a spoon, thank God) that they both calmed down and waited for him to explain.

He didn't have anything to explain. He simply looked at his daughters and told them that they were right. He didn't have any excuses.

10) Molly and Lucy forgave him. Audrey forgave him. His family forgave him, although they all had a numerous amount of reasons to throw him out and never speak to him again.

One thing Percy will never be able to fully comprehend, no matter how long he lives, is the human race's power to forgive.


	32. Molly Weasley

**Molly Weasley**

1. She thinks that maybe she's always been meant to be a mother.

She was smart, of course. She had had great grades at school, always choosing to stay in and study rather than go out like the rest of her friends. But she didn't study out of particular love for it. She didn't know exactly what she wanted to be when she was done Hogwarts. She studied hard because that's what you needed to do to get far in life. Whenever she figured out what she wanted to do, she would be able to do it, because she excelled in her subjects. Because she _studied. _

Regardless of the studying, she never found a strict sense of belonging. Never thought, _this is it. This is what I was born to do._

A few years later, when she held Bill in her arms, she finally got that sense of belonging and she knew that all those years, this, a mother, was what she was supposed to be.

2. It wasn't that she planned to keep having children until a girl was born. She would have loved to have a daughter, but she loved her sons with all of her. She loved them, and with each child, whether a girl or a boy, that feeling of happiness that spread in her was almost too much to contain. Sometimes, she thought she would burst with all the happiness she had. It's just that she didn't feel that her family was _complete. _

When she was pregnant the seventh time, she felt it. That feeling in her heart, her stomach, her uterus. She could feel that this was it. This little baby in her belly would complete their family. But she wasn't sure, so she kept it to herself.

When Ginny was born, she held her baby girl and she stared up at Arthur and he said what she had been thinking.

"Our family is complete."

3. Her time at school was memorable, for sure. She had fun. She made friends, and she met Arthur.

But while she'll always remember her times at Hogwarts, what sticks out more is her time out of it. Because while many people find themselves at the school, she found herself when she left it.

4. One of the first letters Ron ever wrote home to them told about the food, his boring classes, the food, the teachers, the food, oh, _and do you remember Harry Potter? _(As if she could ever forget Harry Potter) _The one on the platform? Well I'm friends with him now Mum. _

Friends with Harry Potter? Her little Ronnie? But he was an orphan, after all, and it was never easy, making friends, and at least Ronnie had someone now, after all...

And then she was told about what had happened. With the Philosopher's Stone. How Ron had gone down, with Harry and Herma... Hannah... oh it didn't matter, it was her _son! _He was in trouble! Harry Potter had gotten him in trouble, and Molly started to second guess her decision that this friendship was a good idea. Even when he was at their house that summer, when Ron had snuck him out and brought him there, she worried about what kind of danger he would get her son in.

5. It wasn't just Harry saving Ginny that changed her mind. She was a mother- she had always felt that instinct with Harry, that desire to hold him and mother him and let him know that he had family. But what about Ron, so young and innocent? What was he getting into? What were they _both _getting into?

When Harry went down to save Ginny, she knew he had become a part of her family because that part that was obsessively worrying about Ginny and Ron, that part that was frozen, that place inside of her that knew if they didn't come back, she would never be whole again- Harry was in that, too. He was one of hers, now.

6. They never had a lot of money, even in the beginning. She knew they never would. And sometimes, when her children would want something she couldn't give them, when her and Arthur sat there and wondered how on earth they would survive this time, she would think she had failed for not being able to give them what they wanted.

But her children excelled in other aspects, and even though they never had all the money in the world, she knew that they were better off than a lot of families who _had _money. As corny as it sounds, they had love. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

7. How many times had she laid in bed at night, thinking over her decisions and worrying about what she was putting her children through? She had seen what You-Know-Who could do, had seen the terror he could spread, what he could destroy. What was she doing, letting her children fight in this?

But she knew that if she denied her children to fight, like she had done with Ginny (not that that had done much good), they would hate her. And the fact that they were brave enough to fight for the good, that they would risk their lives in battle to correct all the wrongdoings done by You-Know-Who, made her prouder than she cared to admit.

8. When Percy left, she had been hurt. She had cried often. But a small part of her, even though it missed her son and was terribly upset and hurt that he didn't want anything to do with them, thought that maybe he was better off. Maybe he was safe.

9. She had had a lot of bad memories. The death of her brothers sticks out in her mind- then, all those times Ron went on some dangerous quest with Harry and Hermione, not to mention when Ginny was taken down to the chamber. When Bill was attacked- when George lost his ear. She didn't think she would be able to pick out which one was worse for her. They were her children, and they were in trouble.

Then she looked down into Fred's lifeless face. That ghost of a smile still on his face. And she knew, all at once, that she would never get over this moment. This would always be the memory she reverted to. It was her worst nightmare, her greatest fear, all brought together into reality.

10. She's had a lot of loss in her life. When those she loved were taken away from her. But there were many moments that made up for those. When Harry and Hermione finally became a part of her family. When her grandchildren were born. When Percy told her he was naming his daughter after her (although she wished her grandchildren had their own names, had new starts, she didn't love them any less, and she didn't favour any of them. She knows it was something Percy had to do, to make up for the time when he walked out. She knows it was something George had to do. And more than anything, she knows it was something Harry had to do). There are so many times where she was ecstatically happy.

But he's always there, in the back of her mind. The one child she couldn't protect. The one she didn't keep her promise to. The one she failed. And even through all this happiness, he took a part of her she will never get back.


	33. Bellatrix Black Lestrange

**Oh, how I love the Black sisters. **

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**Bellatrix Black Lestrange**

1) Her parents never doted on her. Not just her- any of them. Her mother didn't kiss her goodnight; her father didn't lift them up onto his shoulders and run about. Her parents didn't have children because they wanted to- they had children because they were expected to.

She used to listen to Cissy cry about the lack of affection, believing their parents didn't love her. Bella would always laugh.

She can't seem to remember the time when she did the same.

2) The first time Bellatrix ever does magic is when she was five years old. She had been trying to climb a tree and couldn't reach the branch above her to pull herself up. She had kept on jumping, but she came short every time, and she was getting angry.

Then, suddenly, the branch lowered all on its own, and she didn't even have to stretch to reach it. When she climbed up, the next branch did the same. And the next. Soon, she was sitting at the top of the tree, absolutely ecstatic.

Her mother's reaction was, 'that's nice dear.'

Her father grunted noncommittally.

So she went to Andromeda, who, despite being younger, hugged her excitedly, and together they made ice cream.

Bella can't seem to remember this, either.

3) She had always been different from her sisters, but as she got older she and Andromeda were always butting heads. While Bella and Cissy would play would often play Mudbloods and Muggles, Andromeda would sit off and stare haughtily. Later, she would tell Bella she was a bad influence on Narcissa.

Then, the admonishments stopped coming. Andromeda stayed holed up in her room all day.

And then, she wasn't even there anymore.

Cissy cried. Great heaving sobs.

Bellatrix slapped her hard across the face and then burned anything Andromeda had left behind.

4) She had always liked Sirius Black. He was a good cousin, even if he hung around with Andromeda too much for his own good.

Then he was sorted into Gryffindor. So she cut him out.

It should have been harder, to cut somebody out of her life. Somebody she had previously, sort of, cared for.

But it wasn't.

5) One time, Cissy brought home a stray kitten. She absolutely adored it. She nursed it and cared for it and even made it a little bed beside her own.

Bella snapped its neck.

"Why did you do that?" Cissy had cried, as she held the kittens broken body in her hands.

"You loved it too much," Bella had told her calmly. "Those you love will always let you down."

"So then..." she had cried, stroking the dead kitten. "What do I do?"

"Don't love," Bella had told her. "It'll be easier that way."

Cissy had nodded.

Neither sister kept her word.

6) She married Rolph Lestrange out of convenience. He was her way to get everything she wanted, to be handed everything. She didn't love him. But he was a pureblood. He was a rich. He gave her everything. He had her up on a pedestal and worshiped her, and she used this to her advantage.

She doesn't love him, but it's more than that. She doesn't even _respect _him. He's nothing to her. Just a pawn.

7) She would have done anything for the Dark Lord. Anything at all. Even suffer in Azkaban.

She could feel the life being sucked out of her, could feel herself losing weight and shrinking in on herself, and all she wanted was to lie down and die. To let them kill her. To let the Dementor's suck so much life out of her that there was none left.

But she thought about the Dark Lord, and how much he would appreciate it, how much she respected him and loved him- no, she couldn't love him, couldn't. But she did. So she laughed. Even when all she wanted to do was lie down and die, she laughed. She conjured her Lord's face in her mind and she laughed. She would make it out of this.

For him.

8) Killing Sirius was fun. It really was. She didn't know where the hell he went, but it didn't matter, because he was _dead. _And she didn't have any sort of remorse. She wasn't sorry about it. Because he was a blood traitor. He had some of the best blood- he was a _Black. _But he turned his back on that.

She had already burned his name out of the family tree. Now she was doing the real thing. And she loved that.

Killing Nymphadora Tonks was different, for some reason. Because she looked down at her lifeless face and she knew that this would _kill _Andromeda.

She didn't feel remorse over it. She wanted to hurt Andromeda.

But that was the first time in her life that she realized that Andromeda had hurt _her. _

9) She didn't think she could die. Well, she knew she was _able _to die. But it never occurred to her that she would. Because she was absolutely certain that the Dark Lord would come and save her. So even as she battled against the Weasley scum, she had no worries. Because the Dark Lord would save her. He would protect her.

But then he didn't come, and as Molly Weasley's curse raced at her, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was just like her husband.

Just a pawn.

10) For some reason, the last face that flashed through her brain, right before the world went black, was Andromeda's.


End file.
